Spice-Rubbed Turkey

The huz and I cooked our first turkey this weekend! We figured we had to bite the bullet at some point and I wouldn't be lying if I said we needed the extra freezer space.

I was so impressed with how it turned out! We stuffed our turkey with onions and apples and both ingredients kept the turkey moist and left a subtle apple flavor. We've been enjoying the leftovers and feel that we may be ready to actually invite people over to enjoy the next one with us.


Spice-Rubbed Turkey
Adapted from: Butterball

Ingredients

2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground sage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (12 pounds) Butterball® Frozen Whole Turkey , thawed if frozen
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Combine mustard, sage, garlic powder, marjoram, thyme, paprika, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper and nutmeg; set aside.

Remove neck and giblets from body and neck cavities of turkey. Refrigerate for other use or discard. Drain juices from turkey. Pat dry with paper towels. Turn wings back to hold neck skin against back of turkey. Place turkey, breast up, on flat roasting rack in shallow roasting pan. Brush turkey with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; sprinkle with seasoning mixture.

Bake 3 hours, or until meat thermometer reaches 180°F when inserted in deepest part of thigh. Let stand 15 minutes before carving.