Please plan ahead. This recipe is quite easy and quick to prepare but has a very, very long cooking time requiring an hour per pound!

A safety warning. If you want stuffing (aka dressing), bake that separately, not inside the turkey if using a low temperature roasting method. Stuffing the bird with produce such as listed in this recipe is safe and provides important moisture.

Thawed turkey

• 1 onion (the bigger the turkey, the bigger the onion), quartered
• 1 or more peeled garlic glove, halved (optional)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped in big chunks
• 1 orange, quartered but not peeled or use a flavorful apple
• MacNut™ Oil
• Perhaps also another (less expensive) stable oil like avocado or almond oil

Remove packets of goodies from both ends of the turkey. (If desired, place neck and giblets in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer thoroughly to make broth for gravy.) Rinse turkey and pat dry with a paper towel. Divide the onion, garlic, celery and orange into two piles and stuff both ends of the turkey. Seal the skin flaps with skewer or string.

Place the turkey on a rack in the roasting pan so the meat will not be stewing in juices. Unless it is important to have a beautiful Norman Rockwell turkey to show off, I strongly recommend roasting the bird with the breast side down. The juices baste the white meat and keep it moist.

Rub the entire outside of the bird with MacNut™ Oil (MNO). (Or to save money use the MNO for the breast area and the alternate oil for the rest.) Insert a meat thermometer aimed so you will be able to see the face through the oven window. To keep the back from getting overdone before the rest of the turkey, drop a small aluminum tent very loosely on the top.

Now, here is the unique part. Start with an oven preheated to 350° or even 400°, but when you put the turkey in, immediately reduce the heat to 200°. Yes, 200° for 1 hour per pound of turkey. If your oven runs hot, it may only take 50 minutes per pound, so watch the meat thermometer and when it reaches 165 degrees, open the door briefly and reduce the oven temperature to “Warm” until it is time to eat. [Note, older thermometers show a poultry setting of 180 degrees but that is no longer deemed necessary and dries out the bird.] You will see the skin begin to pull back on the legs.

The turkey will be remarkably moist and tender but the skin will be brown and crispy.

Starting with a “brined” turkey is an option that makes the meat even juicier.*

Enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving!

* Brining is done by marinating the turkey in salt water for 12 hours or more before starting the above recipe. The turkey has to be kept cold during the marinating process. Kosher salt is used and the instructions may be on the box. Or, use the more elaborate brining procedure in this recipe.