Categories: Poultry- Turkey

Ingredients

• 4 cups apple cider
• 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• salt and pepper
• 4 ribs celery, halved crosswise
• 4 carrots, peeled, halved crosswise
• 2 medium onions, peeled halved
• 1 12lb. turkey, thawed if frozen, giblets discarded, patted dry
• 1 tart apple (such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady), halved
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 8 sprigs fresh sage

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Make cider glaze: In a large skillet, boil cider until reduced to about 3/4 cup, 25 to 30 minutes. Add vinegar, 2 Tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Stir until butter has melted.
2. In a large roasting pan, scatter celery, carrots and onions; add 1 cup water. Season turkey cavity with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper and stuff with apple, thyme and sage. Tie turkey legs together with twine and tuck wings underneath body. Place turkey on top of vegetables. Rub with remaining 2 Tbsp. butter; season with 2 tsp. salt.
3. Roast turkey, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices for 2 hours. Continue roasting.

4. basting every 15 minutes with cider glaze, until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh registers 165 degrees, 30 to 60 minutes more. (Tent bird loosely with foil if it browns too quickly; add 1 cup water to pan if vegetables begin to scotch.)

5. Carefully tilt turkey to empty juices from cavity into pan. Transfer to a cutting boars, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour before carving.

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