The best (simplest) T-day recipe

Epicurious.com recipe:
THE SIMPLEST ROAST TURKEY
1 (14- to 16-lb) turkey,
Neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for turkey giblet stock
2 1/2 teaspoons salt (2 teaspoons if using a kosher bird)
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

Special equipment: pliers (preferably needlenose); a small metal skewer (optional); kitchen string; a flat metal rack; an instant-read thermometer

Remove any feathers and quills with pliers (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others).

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly in turkey cavities and all over skin. Fold neck skin under body and, if desired, secure with metal skewer, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string.

Put turkey on rack in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of each thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours.

Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180°F). Cut off and discard string from turkey.

Make a gravy from the liquid in the roasting pan using nothing more than a little flour and water as a thickener. If you don't know how to do this, call your mother or any woman over the age of 55.

Other cooking options:
Stuffed turkey: DON'T stuff the bird! Make 12 cups of stuffing and bake separately in muffin pans. These are Racheal Ray's "stuffin' muffins" and they are the best way to prevent undercooked birds and subsequent late night food poisoning.

Roast turkey breast: The same method used above can be applied to a whole turkey breast (instead of the entire bird). For a 6- to 8-pound breast (with skin and bone), reduce amount of salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons and pepper to 3/4 teaspoon. Use a V-rack instead of a flat rack. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted in thickest part of each breast half (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 30 minutes (temperature in breast will rise to between 175°F and 180°F). (For a grilled turkey option, see Grilled Whole Turkey.)

Gourmet
November 2005

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