Ingredients:
- 1 (12 pound) Turkey
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 5 sprigs of fresh sage
- ¼ cup of fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon of fresh ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 4 stalks of celery, cut into quarters
- 1 onion, cut into quarters
- 1 orange, cut into quarters
- 1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup of agave syrup, we prefer organic blue agave
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry, and remove the neck and gizzard, heart and liver. Put those into a small stock pot with the exception of the liver and add 2 cups of water to slowly simmer for a number of hours for the base for your gravy to make later.
In the bowl of a food processor put all of the herbs, without the stems, including the garlic and nutmeg. Pulse until well minced. Take 1/3 of the minced herbs and blend well with the butter. Take 1/3 of the herbs and blend well with the agave syrup.
Loosen the skin of the turkey all over the breast and leg areas and slide the herb blended butter under all of the skin areas. Place the onion, celery, and orange slices into the cavities of the turkey and season with the other 1/3 of the minced herbs. Tuck the wings of the turkey under the back to prevent burning. Then tie the legs of the turkey with string. Use some of the butter blend and slather all over the top and legs of the turkey. Then brush the agave herbed blend over the top of the turkey. Then brush olive oil on top of that. Cover the breast of the turkey with foil to prevent the white meat from over cooking. Insert a meat thermometer into the middle part of the thigh, making sure to not have it touch a bone. Lay the turkey on a rack, in a roasting pan and sprinkle the rest of the onions, celery and oranges around the turkey, and season with a little salt and pepper. Pour 1 cup of water and one can of chicken stock in the roasting pan, but not on top of the turkey.
Roast a 325 degrees for 2 hours. Remove cover of foil, and baste with the agave herbed syrup and olive oil. Return to the oven for another 1 ½ hours or until the meat thermometer reads 185 degrees. Let stand for about 20 minutes, loosely covered, before serving. Place on a serving platter and garnish with fresh rosemary, sage and parsley sprigs and serve.