Butter is the key to crispy turkey skin
Turkey meat tends to be dry; butter applied generously, under and over the skin, protects it during cooking and ensures a crispy skin.
Roasting a turkey requires careful preparation. The meat tends to be drier and less flavorful than other poultry, so every detail counts. The skin, when crispy, is the best part of the bird. To achieve both, butter is essential.
The fat in the butter helps the skin crisp up as it cooks, similar to how hot oil crisps fried foods. Spread softened butter all over the turkey's skin, even underneath. The butter under the skin is absorbed by the meat; the top layer creates the desired crispiness.
Salted butter has more flavor than unsalted butter and is the recommended choice. For extra intensity, use regular butter instead of low-fat alternatives. Enrich it with ingredients that will intensify the flavor: chopped fresh parsley, minced garlic, even lemon zest. Make sure everything you add complements the other flavors of the turkey, including any stuffing in its cavity.
As the turkey cooks, some of the butter melts and settles in the bottom of the pan along with the juices. Basting the turkey during cooking with this flavored butter enriches the basting liquid and infuses the subsequent gravy with a depth that would otherwise be impossible to achieve.