Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
Yield: 12-16 servings

This is my mom's way of roasting a turkey. She drapes a cheesecloth over the breast to help the basting juices soak in, keeping the breast nice and moist. To calculate the roasting time, use 18-20 minutes per pound as a guide. Remember to turn the oven down to 350 degrees as soon as the turkey goes into the oven.

EQUIPMENT
Oven thermometer (optional)
Large, heavy, deep-sided roasting pan
Fitted roasting rack (optional)
Kitchen twine for trussing legs
1 large piece of thick-woven cheesecloth
Bulb baster
Instant read thermometer (make sure it's calibrated)
Parchment paper

INGREDIENTS
One whole turkey, any size
Salt and pepper, for rubbing
1/2 cup chicken stock, plus an additional 1-2 cups for basting if needed
1/2 teaspoon good quality sweet paprika
1/4 cup melted butter, for basting near end of cooking time
1 cup mirepoix (diced onions, celery and carrots) for pan gravy (optional)
Chopped gizzard and heart for pan gravy (optional)

Depending upon the size of the bird, set the rack to the first or second slots in the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Wash the turkey well, and pat it dry with clean kitchen towels or paper towels. Rub the bird inside and out with with salt and pepper. Stuff the bird, if desired. Truss the legs together with cooking twine.

Mix 1/2 cup of the stock and the paprika together in a medium bowl.

Place the turkey in a deep roasting pan (roasting rack optional). Baste the bird all over with some of the stock. Dampen the cheesecloth in the remaining stock, and lay it evenly over the turkey, including the legs and wings.

Set the turkey in the oven and...

***** TURN THE TEMPERATURE DOWN TO 350 DEGREES! ******

Baste occassionally with the accumulated pan drippings, about every 30 minutes or so, especially near the middle and end of cooking time. If your bird is lean and you are not getting a lot of drippings, use the additional stock.

30 minutes before the end of the calculated roasting time, remove the turkey from the oven. Remove the cheesecloth and baste with the juices once more, and then with the melted butter to give it a crispy brown skin.

If making a pan gravy, sprinkle the mirepoix and chopped gizzard into the roasting pan.

Although it will need more time in the oven, now is a good time to check the temperature of the bird. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (or the center of the stuffing for a stuffed bird); the turkey is done when it reads 165 degrees.

Place the turkey back into the oven until the thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Remove the turkey (and rack, if using) from the raosting pan. Carefully transfer the bird on a decorative platter and cover with a light tent of parchment paper; let rest 20-30 minutes before carving.

See the Turkey Pan Gravy recipe for instructions on how to make the gravy.

See the Apple Sage Garnish for Roasted Turkey recipe for a festive decoration to the platter.

©2007 Copyright Alison Anton - All rights reserved.