- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Remove neck and giblets from turkey; reserve for another use or disgard. Rinse turkey body cavity; dry with paper towels. Sprinkle cavity with salt and pepper.
- In a bowl, combine softened butter, sage, and thyme. Add finely shredded orange peel, kosher salt, and black pepper. Divide mixture in half.
- Rub half the mixture under skin from front to back of turkey. Set other half aside.
- Spoon stuffing loosly into cavity. Skewer neck skin to back. Tuck drumstick ends under band of skin across tail (if present) or tie drumsticks to the tail using 100% cotton kitchen string. Twist wing tips under back.
- Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with oil; sprinkle with additional salt and pepper. Insert an ovengoing meat thermometer into the center of an inside muscle thigh (without touching it to bone). Cover turkey loosely with foil.
- Microwave remaining half of butter mixture until melted. Stir in 1/3 cup honey. Set aside to baste with during the last 15 minutes of roasting the turkey
- Roast for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Remove foil; cut band of skin or string between drumsticks so thighs cook evenly. Roast for 60-75 minutes or until the meat thermometer registers at least 175°F in the thigh (center of stuffing should be 165°F). Juices should run clear and drumsticks should move easily in their sockets. During the last 15 minutes of roasting, brush turkey twice with glaze.
- Remove turkey from oven. Cover with foil; let stand 15-20 minutes before carving.
Exerpted from Better Homes and Gardens: New Cookbook 16th Edition © 2014 by Better Homes and Gardens
