The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

up for another 12-18 hours. Then remove the turkey from the plastic and set it on a rack in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. The skin will tighten up a bit and take on a beautiful bronze color as it roasts. • To Truss or not to Truss. I’m in the “not truss” camp for the simple reason that air flow around the legs helps ensures even cooking. You don’t want an overcooked breast and an undercooked leg/thigh. • Go High then Low. Roast your turkey at 425 450ºF for the first half hour and then down to 350-325ºF for the remainder. I prefer to roast a turkey on a rack set over a roasting

pan that has a few roughly chopped carrots, celery, onions and some of the turkey giblets in. Also, pour a bit of water or broth (two cups or so) on the bottom for the several hours of roasting. After that the bird itself will start yielding delicious basting juices. • Baste and the baste some more. Every half an hour. No excuses! And that is it. That lovingly basted turkey is ready when the thermometer reads 165ºF in the thickest part of the thigh. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it sit for at least a half an hour before carving.

FALL · TECHNIQUE SPOTLIGHT

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