Oven Roast Turkey - Home Cooked Recipe 67

I have NEVER made a turkey before.  I think I have mentioned before that I just have not been comfortable working with large cuts of meat in the kitchen, and that was something I was going to start learning in order to expand my culinary horizons.  I have had some adventures with pork, and am now moving on to poultry.  Instead of going with a small 4-5lb chicken, I went right for the turkey! 
I had a little help from my fiance - oh wait, I forgot, I haven't announced that here yet.  Yes!!!  At the tender age of 34 I am finally engaged!!!  He asked me to marry him on April 15th, and of course I said yes.  We've been dating for three and a half years, and are looking to have our wedding in fall/winter of 2016. I am super excited and look forward to being his wife.  But anyway, back to the turkey. So he helped me a little, mostly by taking the guts out (ewwwwww! Not something I can do quite yet), and lifting it in and out of the oven for me.  It came out looking so beautiful!!!  It was a little drier than I had hoped.  I don't really mind dry turkey, but I know some people do.  I think next time I would cook it for 30 minutes less.  I was just extra cautious this time, and frankly I would rather eat my turkey a tad dry than to get salmonella poisoning.  I stuffed the bird with lemons, onions, and garlic, and basted it alternately with butter and olive oil for that super gorgeous brown skin.  Not bad for my first time cooking one!!!

Oven Roast Turkey

Ingredients:

• 13.5 lb turkey (mine came from Publix, I got it in Nov when they were .59 a lb, and just kept it in the freezer)
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 lemon, zested and then quartered
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Directions:
Remove innards from turkey (giblets, organs, etc)
Preheat oven to 400.
Place turkey in roasting pan.  I didn't have a rack, but I will get one for next time. If you have a rack, place the turkey on that in the pan.
Mix together softened butter, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  
Stuff lemon quarters, garlic cloves, and 3 of onion quarters into cavity.  Place last onion quarter in neck hole.  Spread a quarter of the butter between the skin and the breast of the turkey, then spread the rest all over the outside of the turkey skin.  Tie the front legs together with butcher twine.
Bake the turkey for the first hour at 400.  Lower the heat to 350.  Spread some olive oil over the top of the turkey using a basting brush.  After the two hour mark, baste the turkey with the juice from the pan.  Cover the breast with foil.  Cook an additional two hours, basting occasionally.  Let rest for 1 hour, then carve.
Enjoy!