Turkey recipes

Rating: ***1/2 Serves 10

one 10- to 12-pound turkey

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 medium to large yellow onions, left unpeeled and cut into eighths

2 medium carrots, left unpeeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 medium ribs celery, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 cups water; more as needed (divided use)

The night before roasting, remove the giblets from the turkey, cut off the tail, if attached, and reserve them for making turkey broth. Rinse the turkey thoroughly. Sprinkle the salt all over it, starting on the back side, then moving to the cavity and, finally, the breast. Put the turkey on a wire rack set over a rimmed pan or platter and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.

An hour before roasting, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature. Fifteen to 20 minutes before roasting, position a rack in the lowest part of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Put half of the onions, carrots and celery in the turkey cavity. Scatter the remaining onions, carrots and celery in a large flameproof heavy-duty roasting pan fitted with a large V-rack. Set the turkey, breast side down, on the rack.

Roast for 30 minutes. Pour 1 cup of the water into the roasting pan and roast for another 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and close the oven door. With a wad of paper towels in each hand, carefully turn the turkey over so that it is breast-side up.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan. Return the turkey to the oven and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, registers 170 degrees and the juices run clear when you remove the thermometer - about another 45 minutes for a turkey of about 10 pounds or about another hour for a 12-pounder.

Keep a close eye on the vegetables and pan drippings throughout the cooking process. They should be kept dry enough to brown and produce the rich brown drippings to make gravy, but moist enough to keep from burning, so add water as needed.

Transfer the turkey to a carving board or platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour before carving and serving.

Per serving: 553 calories, 73 grams protein, 25 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 4 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 212 milligrams cholesterol, 2,504 milligrams sodium

Rating: **1/2

Serves 8 to 10

one 14- to 15-pound turkey, neck and giblets reserved

1 orange, cut into wedges

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1 onion, cut into wedges

6 fresh rosemary sprigs (divided use)

6 fresh sage sprigs (divided use)

6 fresh oregano sprigs (divided use)

7 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided use)

2 tablespoons herbes de Provence

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more for gravy

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more for gravy

6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (approximate amount - divided use)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Position the rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Place the orange, lemon, onion and 2 sprigs of each fresh herb in the main turkey cavity. Tie the legs together to hold the shape of the turkey.

Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, the herbes de Provence, oil, and the salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts. Rub the butter mixture all over the turkey and between the turkey breast meat and skin. Place the turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.)

Cover the turkey breast with foil. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour 3 cups of broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Remove the foil from the turkey; pour 1 more cup of broth into the pan.

Continue roasting the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees to 175 degrees or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes while preparing the gravy.

To make the gravy: Strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon off the fat from the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total.

Melt the remaining butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.

Per serving (based on 10 servings): 874 calories, 105 grams protein, 45 grams fat, 16 grams saturated fat, 6 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 317 milligrams cholesterol, 639 milligrams sodium

Rating: **

Serves 6 to 8 one 10- to 12-pound turkey

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the turkey giblets. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cool running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey on a wire rack in a metal roasting pan. Spread the oil evenly over the turkey and season with the salt and pepper. Roast the turkey until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Add about 1 cup of water to the pan and cover the turkey loosely with a large sheet of foil. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Continue to roast until a thermometer inserted in a thigh registers 180 degrees, about 1 3/4 hours more, depending on the size of the turkey. Leave the foil in place and let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. (If making gravy, reserve the pan drippings.)

Per serving (based on 8 servings): 716 calories, 91 grams protein, 36 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, 0 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 264 milligrams cholesterol, 939 milligrams sodium