THE CLASSIC:
STUFFED HERB-
RUBBED ROAST
TURKEY
WITH GRAVY
If you’ve got just one bird in your holiday roast arsenal,
make it this one. It’s got it all: moist breast and thigh
meat; crisp, burnished skin; tasty gravy; and plenty of
turkey-flavored stuffing, cooked (safely) inside the bird, to
boot.
Most turkeys are too large and cumbersome to fit
nicely on a rack in a rimmed baking sheet, like I’d use for
a roast chicken. In this case, the handles of a roasting pan
are worth the trade-off in poorer air circulation around
the bird, because of the higher pan sides. And with the
extra cooking time a turkey needs, the skin gets plenty
crisp anyway.
NOTE: For the juiciest results and crispest skin, dry-brine
the bird and air-dry it overnight as described here.