Roast Turkey With Maple Pepper Butter


Turkeys are just not designed to roast evenly, with the breast being completely cooked long before the wings and legs. This recipe deals with that problem. While you won't be able to carve an entire bird at the table, you will have a perfectly roasted, truly succulent bird and magnificent gravy! This recipe is well-worth the little extra work involved. Enjoy.

Steps


Make the glaze: in a food processor , combine the butter , 6 tblsps of the maple syrup , 3 tblsps of the lemon juice , the lemon zest , coarsely ground pepper and salt.
Process until blended and transfer to a bowll.
In another bowl , combine the remaining cup maple syrup , 1 tblsp lemon juice and finely ground pepper.
Marinate the turkey: in a 2-gallon plastic bag , combine the lemon juice , maple syrup , olive oil , shallots , garlic , thyme , bay leaves , lemon zest and pepper.
Add the turkey to the bag , squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag.
Distribute the marinade evenly over and inside the turkey.
Set the turkey , breast side down , in a bowl in the refrigerator and marinate for 24 hours , turning occasionally.
Preaheat oven to 450f.
Position the oven rack near the bottom of the oven.
Wipe off the shallots and garlic from the turkey and pat dry.
Strain the marinade into a bowl , skim off the oil and reserve.
Set the herbs , garlic and shallots aside se.

Ingredients


butter, pure maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, lemons, zest of, black pepper, coarse salt, olive oil, shallots, garlic, fresh thyme, bay leaves, turkey, onions, celery, flour, chicken stock