Christina Hendricks's Family Recipes

Christopher Baker

Best Star Turkey

Alicia Keys and Mom Terria Joseph's Turkey in a Bag

Ingredients:
• 1 12–14 lb. turkey
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 2 tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp dried basil
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 Granny Smith apples, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Other Materials:
A large roasting pan, a meat thermometer, and a turkey-size oven bag (available in the paper-goods section of the supermarket).

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. 2 Remove neck and giblets. 3 Rinse turkey with cold water inside and out, then rub with vinegar. Pat dry with paper towels. 4 Rub skin with garlic cloves, then butter. 5 In a bowl, mix garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and basil. Rub half of spice mix under skin, on breast and back. Tuck two sprigs of rosemary and one bay leaf under breast skin and two rosemary sprigs under back. Rub outside skin with remaining spice mix. 6 Stuff turkey with two chopped apples, one chopped onion, and three bay leaves. 7 Rub inside of oven bag with flour to prevent bag from bursting. 8 Add some of remaining chopped onions and apples to oven bag and leave some in the roasting pan, outside of bag, to use as garnish later. 9 Place turkey, breast side up, on onions and apples in oven bag. Cut six ½-inch slits into bag to allow steam to escape. Tie bag closed with provided tie or butcher's string. Place bag into roasting pan. 10 Cook in oven for 2½–3 hours. Pierce bag with meat thermometer, and poke into thickest part of inner thigh. The turkey is ready when it reaches 180°F. 11 Cut open top of bag, and carefully remove turkey. Discard vegetables. Place turkey on serving dish and let rest for 20 minutes. Garnish with roasted apples and onions. Serves 8