Ingredients
- 1 cup flakey sea salt (like maldon sea salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground lavender
- 2 teaspoon crushed bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon crushed toasted fennel seed
- 1 tablespoon tablepoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoon fresh marjoram leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup flakey sea salt (like maldon sea salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground lavender
- 2 teaspoon crushed bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon crushed toasted fennel seed
- 1 tablespoon tablepoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoon fresh marjoram leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 sprig fresh sage
- 2 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 sprig carrots, cut into chunks
- 3 sprig ribs of celery, cut into chunks
- 1 sprig medium onion, cut into chunks
- 1 head garlic, split through the equator
- 1 head meyer lemon, cut in half
Preparation
Baking Directions:
For American Provence ingredients: Combine ingredients well and gently crush a little with a mortar and pestle.
Set aside.
For turkey ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350°F and remove the top rack of the oven.
Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff thyme, rosemary, sage, carrots, onion, celery, garlic and lemon inside.
Using kitchen twine truss the bird around the wings and loop around each leg tying ends together to bring the bird into a nice consistent shape (this will ensure it cooks evenly).
Place bird on a slotted V-rack inside a turkey roasting tray.
Using a rubber spatula, smear the room temperature butter all over the bird ensuring you get it in the cracks and joints around the legs and wings.
Season all over with American Provence salt mix.
Place turkey in the middle of the oven and cook for about 3 hours.
Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170°F.
The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3 hours total (15 minutes per pound).
If the legs or breast brown too quickly during roasting, cover them with foil.
Take the turkey out of the oven and put the roasting pan on the stovetop to make the gravy (see below).
Transfer the turkey to a serving tray to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
