Easy Thanksgiving Turkey

Our turkey was delicious. Apart from some delicate work stuffing the skin, it was easy, too. No basting or anything. The seasonings are timeless and simple.

Of course, the reason I didn't have to baste is because I had a miraculous turkey roasting bag, which had clearly been imported from the UK into Ghana. I don't know if these devices are floating around in the US (and I wouldn't expect to see them in Germany at all), so once my third and final turkey bag is used next year, I may have to find a new gig.

Till then, though... lecker.

Easy Thanksgiving Turkey

prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 3-5 hours, depending on turkey's weight

serves 15

ingredients:

1 turkey (organic/free range, Neuland, or other happy-life-certifications preferred)
1 lemon
1 bunch of rosemary
1 bunch of thyme
salt and pepper to taste

directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.

Remove the turkey from its packaging. Remove giblets and/or neck, as applicable.

Generously season the inner cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper.

Now lay the turkey on its back (roasting position). Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the meat all the way up the front, and as far down the drumsticks as possible.

Tear rosemary and thyme from their stems, a few leaves at a time, and place these leaves underneath the skin. Halve the lemon and squeeze one half on the outside of the skin. Season the skin with salt and pepper.

Squeeze the other half of the lemon inside the turkey cavity, then leave the lemon halves inside the cavity. Place any remaining herbs inside the cavity as well.

Follow the magic turkey roasting bag's instructions. Put 1 tbsp of flour inside the bag and shake it around to coat the inside of the bag. Carefully place the turkey inside the bag and the whole thing in a roasting dish. Seal the bag according to its instructions. Don't let it touch the top of the turkey if possible, and cut a few slits in the top to let steam escape. Insert a meat thermometer, if using.

Cook the turkey following any handy roasting chart on the internet, like this one. If using a meat thermometer, the temperature to go for is 165F/75C. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, without touching any bone. And if your oven loves you, this is what you'll get.

Items on this plate, from the top, going clockwise: Turkey, Gwen's vegan stuffing, vegan cornbread (one piece with, one piece without Hatch chilis), sweet potato latkes with crapplesauce, and Käsespätzle Kugel in the middle. In the pic up top, hiding behind the turkey is a meatless batch of pumpkin-cocoa chili, because nothing says fall more than pumpkins.