Easy Roast Turkey

Since my mom or Aunt usually host Thanksgiving dinner for our family, I have never roasted a turkey for this special day. Actually, the only turkeys I have ever roasted to date have been the four I made each year for Turkey Trot, the turkey lunch feast held at Palo Alto High School that feeds hundreds of students and benefits the Ecumenical Hunger Program. Each time I roasted one, my house smelled divine and the browned bird I delivered to my kids' school looked delicious, but we never got to taste it...

Even though Thanksgiving is in just a few days, I decided to roast a turkey for me (and my family, too).  I love that this recipe is so uncomplicated. I chose a rather small turkey for our family, so it ended up looking a bit "slight" and not so plump, but once carved, the meat was amazingly moist and delicious!

Easy Roast Turkey

Preheat oven to 325° Pull the neck and giblets out the cavity. Dry the turkey with paper towels, place breast side up in roasting pan, then brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill the turkey with chopped onion and a sliced lemon. Pour 1 cup of broth in bottom of pan.

Tent with foil and roast for 2 hours (for a 10-12 pound turkey, add an extra 15 minutes per pound for larger birds). Remove the foil, baste with more melted butter and crank the oven to 425°. Roast for another hour or until the meat at the thigh registers 165°

Recipe from Food Network