I hope you’re as excited as I am, because this Roasted Turkey with Herb Butter is the reason I love Thanksgiving so much. Okay, okay, hold your horses. I do also love the whole idea of gathering family and friends to celebrate love and being thankful for all sorts of things. But I can’t, won’t, deny that the food is the reason it is my second favorite holiday (Christmas being the first, obviously)! People think that the fact that I love Thanksgiving (and that I love country music) so much is hilarious. “How can you love Thanksgiving if you’re not American?”. Well, it turns out you don’t have to be born and raised American to enjoy a good holiday with the people we love. ❤️ And, of course, all that delicious wine and food! Because a good part of Thanksgiving IS eating until you rip your pants apart, isn’t it?
Until 3 years ago, I had never roasted a whole turkey before. In Brazil, we do the whole turkey thing for Christmas, and my family usually goes to other relatives homes for the party. So preparing a bird was never necessary, until my American friends decided I would be the one hosting Thanksgiving in 2012! I was already dating Tim (my husband) back then and he can testify to the chaos that my kitchen was that day. I not only accepted the challenge of hosting Thanksgiving for my friends, but I also decided to make everything from scratch. EVERYTHING, including homemade bread and homemade vanilla ice cream! What was I thinking, God? All I can say is that I am glad that he stayed with me (and thought I was marriage material) after that day. Yep, making a whole Thanksgiving meal from scratch in a tiny Manhattan kitchen can be quite challenging! BUT, I did learn how to make a turkey (Thank you, Google and Youtube!). And my friends, who usually buy a turkey when they host Thanksgiving, were beyond impressed and called that day a “Gourmet Thanksgiving”. I don’t know about you, but I consider that the ultimate compliment for a home chef!
The roasted turkey was so popular, that I’ve been using that same recipe (slightly adapted from Gordon Ramsey’s version) ever since. Thankfully, this is a pretty easy and straight forward recipe. No brining required! But don’t worry, this turkey is as flavorful and juicy as it could be and I guarantee you and your guests will go nuts over it! When Tim had it for the first time, he was so impressed that he told me that until then he thought turkey was supposed to be dry and flavorless. Even today, while he was carving (and snacking on) the turkey, he kept exclaiming that this was the best turkey he has ever had. Which reminds me that I have to give my husband credit for all the carving and giblets removing! Definitely two of the best perks of being married, since I strongly dislike both those tasks.
This year, Tim and I will be spending Thanksgiving by ourselves. Life has been a little overwhelming lately, so we decided that a day in watching movies would be the best thing for us at the moment. But that doesn’t mean we won’t be having fun and eating good food! I’m still cooking a feast, though. Because the next best thing after Thanksgiving is THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS! ❤️❤️❤️
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