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1
Preheat the oven to 450F.
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2
Put the turkey in a roasting pan; you can place stuffing under its breastbone if you like; if you want crisp stuffing, however, add it to the pan (or bake it separately) when about 30 minutes of cooking time remain.
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3
Brush the turkey with oil, butter, or stock if you like and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
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4
Put it in the oven.
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5
Roast for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on size, basting with the pan juices (or a little more chicken stock) every 15 minutes or so, then begin checking for doneness every few minutes with an instant-read thermometer.
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6
The turkey is ready when the thermometer reads 155F.
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7
Let the turkey rest for 5 to 10 minutes (during which time its internal temperature will rise to about 160F) before carving and serving.
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8
Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast: Increase the melted butter, oil, or stock to 1/4 cup and combine with 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, along with a mixture of other fresh herbs, like tarragon (about a teaspoon), dill (about a tablespoon), or celery or fennel leaves (a tablespoon or more).
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9
Baste and roast as directed.
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10
For safety, the USDA recommends roasting white-meat poultry to 170F, at which point it will be unpalatably dry (especially when you consider that the internal temperature typically rises at least five degrees during the resting period).
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11
Should you choose to do this, I strongly recommend that you serve the turkey with plenty of gravy.
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12
I stop the cooking at a lower temperature and have never regretted it.
