Cooking Turkey for Beginners - An Easy Step-by-Step Turkey Recipe

Rub the rest of the butter all over the outside of the turkey, being sure to get the sides also. This is why you need to dry the skin with paper towels in step 3; otherwise the butter won't stick as well.

Add the rest of the aromatic vegetables to your roasting pan and set the turkey on top. The vegetables will act as a sort of delicious rack.

Add about a half-inch of liquid (water or stock) to the roasting pan. This will keep the oven moist. Also, the pan drippings will be even more flavorful if you're planning to make gravy.