Win At Thanksgiving With This Cranberry-Glazed Turkey Recipe

If you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, rest assured making a turkey is *not* that difficult. If you follow a step-by-step process, you'll have no trouble at all learning how to make a turkey. This year, serve up a delicious, moist, and succulent holiday meal. This turkey recipe has a cranberry glaze that adds just the right amount of sweetness to this savory dish, not to mention oodles of flavor. So take a deep breath, relax, and whip up this insanely good turkey dinner — and check out our free Holiday Dinner Party Guide while you're at it!

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Cranberry Glaze

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 2/3 cup apple cider
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon pink salt or sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add in shallot, and cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add in cranberries, maple syrup, apple cider, allspice, salt, and pepper, stirring. Raise heat and bring to a simmer, until cranberries are bursting.
4. Transfer cranberry mixture to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
5. Place back into saucepan, and heat on low, until glaze has reduced and thickened up a bit. Reserve some glaze to serve on the table alongside the turkey.

Roast Turkey

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 12-14 pound turkey
• 2 tablespoons pink salt or sea salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2-3 sprigs fresh sage
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 apple, quartered

Directions:

1. Be sure turkey is properly thawed before starting.
2. Remove turkey from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Remove neck and giblets from the cavities.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Set a rack inside a large roasting pan.
5. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, then rub the outside and inside cavities with salt.
6. Rub softened butter all over the outside and inside cavities of the turkey, then stuff with the fresh herbs, onion, lemon, and apple.
7. Pour 4 cups of water into the bottom of the roasting pan. Place turkey in the oven and roast at 450 F for 30 minutes, uncovered.
8. Reduce oven temperature to 325 F.
9. Baste turkey with juices from the pan, then take some of the cranberry glaze and baste on top of the turkey breasts, legs, and thighs.
10. Add more water to the pan as needed to leave about 1/4 inch of liquid on the bottom.
11. Continue roasting the turkey, basting with pan juices and cranberry glaze every 30 minutes.
12. Tent the wings or top of the turkey if it starting to brown too quickly. Total roasting time should be between 2 and 1/2 hours to 3 hours total, depending on the size of the turkey.
13. Check the thickest part of the turkey thigh with an instant read thermometer (not touching the bone) to make sure it reads 165 F before removing from the oven.
14. Let turkey rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour before carving. Serve with additional cranberry glaze.

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Recipe and photos by Sarah Anderson.