This roasted garlic turkey with an orange glaze is a fun twist on the traditional bird served at the holiday dinner table. If you are looking for something with a little more excited than a basic turkey, but without more work this is the recipe for you!
Starting with a fully thawed turkey remove the giblets and neck from the body. I also like to trim the skin around the neck to make it more even at this point. Pat the entire bird dry with paper towels inside and out.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan with a roasting rack or on a baking sheet on a wire rack. Make sure it can fit in your fridge. Cover the whole turkey in the salt making sure to coat all of the skin and sprinkling it inside of the cavity of the bird also.
Leave the bird in the fridge uncovered for 12-48 hours. When ready to cook remove from the fridge and dust off an excess salt. Drain any juices from the pan. Let the turkey sit out at room temperature for 1-2 hours before roasting.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Mince all of the garlic cloves and rosemary finely or chop well in a food processor. Mix with the ghee and black pepper to make a paste.
Using your fingers or a spatula gently work your fingers under the skin of the bird to to separate it from the meat. Once you have separated it a good amount begin working the garlic ghee mixture underneath the skin. Try to spread it out underneath the breast skin well.
Line the roasting pan with foil to help with clean up. Place the turkey into the preheated oven for 30 minutes. This will help it develop a deeper golden skin and render all of the fat.
While the turkey is roasting in the hot oven mix all of the glaze ingredients into a sauce pan on the stove over medium high heat. Stirring occasionally.
Heat until the liquid begins to reduce in volume and thickens into a glaze. This will take about 10 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cover until it is needed.
After the turkey has roasted for 30 minutes remove it from the oven and turn the heat down to 325 degrees. Using a basting brush or a spoon, brush a thin layer of glaze all over the turkey. Reserve enough glaze to be able to do this 2 more times.
Place the turkey back into the oven and continue to cook for another hour. This will be the halfway point for a 12 lb turkey. Remove from the oven and again coat with the glaze. Place the turkey back into the oven for another hour.
After the turkey has about 30 minutes left of cooking time (about 2.5 hours into the roasting) remove the turkey and apply the final coating of the remaining glaze. Return to the oven and cook until the internal temperature of the turkey's thigh reaches 160 degrees.
When the turkey has reached 160 degrees (about 3 hours total) remove it from the oven and let it rest for 45 minutes uncovered before carving. This will allow the juices to settle. Serve warm!
If you do not have dietary restrictions then you can use butter and soy sauce in place of the ghee and coconut aminos.
If you do not have a roasting pan or a wire rack available lift the turkey off of the pan by making coils out of foil. This will help keep the air flow circulating underneath the turkey and also make sure the bottom is not soggy.
To get the most accurate temperature place the thermometer into the turkey's thigh where the leg and breast meet. Be careful to not touch the bone as you will not get an accurate reading that way.
Resist the urge to open the oven more than necessary as this will slow down the cooking time and dry the turkey out.
Roasted Garlic & Glazed Turkey https://thesimplesupper.com/garlic-turkey