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Wash the turkey and season inside and out with salt and pepper.
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Carefully loosen skin from the breast, thighs and legs of the turkey by sliding your fingers between the skin and meat.
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Roast the garlic cloves with a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper in an aluminum foil pouch in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
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Blend together the butter, sage and roasted garlic.
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Push the flavoured butter between the skin and turkey meat. Pat the surface of the skin to evenly distribute the butter over the meat.
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Stuff the turkey, truss it and open roast for about 2 ½ hours (at 375 degrees F for a half hour, then reduce the temperature to 350 F) until a meat thermometer registers 185 degrees F when inserted into the middle of the thickest part of the breast and thigh meat. I sometimes
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Let the turkey rest for a minimum of 15 minutes before carving.