Herbed Mayonnaise Roast Turkey

This herbed mayonnaise roast turkey is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table. Full of orange, sage, rosemary and thyme it’s super moist and totally easy!

Turkey.

Yep, it’s that time of the year again. As I have stated in past posts I was always more of a stuffing girl than a turkey girl. Don’t get me wrong. I like turkey. Just not as much as carbs…and pie.

Always pie.

This year I decided to do something a little different. I make a lot of roast chicken but since it’s just my husband and I a whole turkey is usually a little too much. Luckily I scored a tiny turkey and was able to rock the hell out of it.

By the way, do you know how hard it is to find a small turkey? Seriously. I kept picking up 20-pound birds and thinking to myself “I will be eating turkey for weeks if I buy this. WEEKS!”

My “something different” to this turkey was in the form of mayonnaise. I have made mayonnaise roasted chicken before this was my first time slathering it on a giant bird. I also mixed it up with the addition of orange zest and minced sage, thyme and rosemary.

If you’re thinking to yourself “Ummm, ewww. Mayonnaise and turkey?” stop those thoughts immediately. This herbed mayonnaise roast turkey does not taste like a giant turkey sandwich. The mayo helps keep the turkey moist and adds a ton of a flavor. I’m not sure how it works but it just does. In these situations I stop asking questions, shut up and just eat.

If you’re wondering how to make the perfectly moist turkey you have to try Pop-Up® Disposable Cooking Thermometers from Volk Enterprises. They make roasting your turkey super simple by being accurate +/- 2 degrees. Using these handy timers also means you can stop opening the oven door to check your turkey temperature. Do you know what that means? You’re turkey cooks quicker because the temperature of the oven isn’t having to play catch up from all those door openings.

Herbed Mayonnaise Roast Turkey

This herbed mayonnaise roast turkey is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table. Full of orange, sage, rosemary and thyme it's super moist and totally easy!

Yield: 10 pound turkey

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 (10 pound) fresh turkey (if using frozen make sure it's thawed)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 oranges, cut into wedges

Adapted from my meyer lemon mayonnaise roast chicken and She Wears Many Hats

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove giblets from the inside of the turkey and add turkey to your roasting pan.

Using a paper towel lightly dry off the turkey skin.

In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, orange zest, rosemary, thyme, sage and orange juice.

Rub mayonnaise mixture over the entire turkey and inside the cavity. I use my hands for this job because it the easiest way to coat the entire turkey.

Sprinkle the turkey with kosher salt and pepper.

Stuff the cavity with orange wedges and any remaining fresh herbs you might have.

If you're using a popup timer simply place it into the meaty part of the breast. Press down into the turkey until the timer is flush with the skin.

Add turkey to the oven and cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Lower temperature to 350 and cook until timer pops up or internal temperature is 180 degrees.

If the top of your turkey gets too browned while cooking simply tent it with foil for a bit then remove the foil to continue browning until fully cooked.

Let your turkey rest for at least 30 minutes (I usually let mine rest for about an hour) then carve and enjoy!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Volk Enterprises. As always, all thoughts, opinions and ramblings are my own.