Name: A Simply Perfect Roast Turkey
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: Whole turkey - 1 (18 pound); Prepared stuffing - 8 cups; Unsalted butter, softened - ½ cup; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste - ½ cup; Turkey stock, divided - 1 ½ quarts

Ingredients for - A Simply Perfect Roast Turkey

1. Whole turkey 1 (18 pound)

2. Prepared stuffing 8 cups

3. Unsalted butter, softened ½ cup

4. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste ½ cup

5. Turkey stock, divided 1 ½ quarts

How to cook deliciously - A Simply Perfect Roast Turkey

1 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place a rack in the lowest position of the oven.

2 . Stage

Remove turkey neck and giblets. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels.

3 . Stage

Place turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Loosely fill turkey cavity with stuffing. Rub skin with butter, then season with salt and pepper.

4 . Stage

Pour 2 cups of turkey stock into the roasting pan. Loosely tent turkey with aluminum foil.

5 . Stage

Roast turkey for 2 1/2 hours, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes. When drippings evaporate, add remaining stock to the pan, 1 to 2 cups at a time.

6 . Stage

Remove foil and continue roasting until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 1 1/2 hours more.

7 . Stage

Transfer turkey to a large serving platter. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios