PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 3½ hours
As a South Beach Dieter, be sure to choose the tasty and moist white meat, and don’t forget to remove the skin from your portion before eating.
1 12- to 14-pound turkey
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small orange, apple, and/or onion, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons dry white wine or lower-sodium chicken broth
Position rack in the lower third of oven and heat oven to 450°F.
Rinse turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside of bird with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Insert orange, apple, and/or onion halves into cavity of bird. Tuck wings under and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.
Combine remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, parsley, and thyme in a small bowl. Slide your hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen skin. Rub turkey breast under skin with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Spread herb mixture over breast and press skin back down on top.
Transfer turkey to oven and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, baste with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil and 1 tablespoon of the wine. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and roast for 30 minutes more; baste with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 2 tablespoons wine.
Continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes with accumulated pan juices, until a meat thermometer reads 180°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, 1½ to 2 hours more. Remove turkey from oven, cover loosely with foil, and allow bird to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Remove and discard orange halves, carve bird, and serve.
Makes 8 (6-ounce) servings, with leftovers
NUTRITION AT A GLANCE
Per serving (without skin): 250 calories, 8 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 38 g protein, 0 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 260 mg sodium