Ingredients

1 onion, halved or quartered
2 to 3 garlic cloves
3 to 4 rosemary sprigs, optional
1 turkey, 12 to 14 pounds
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted, or vegetable oil (optional)
1 quart turkey broth or canned chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
1 cup cream (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 F.

Put the onion, garlic and rosemary into the empty cavity of the turkey. Place the turkey in a roasting pan to fit, breast side up, and brush with butter or oil. Place in the oven, uncovered, and roast for 1 hour. Carefully remove the turkey from the oven (close the oven door), watching out for steam. Brush the turkey with butter or its juices. Return to the oven quickly and reduce heat to 400 F. Roast another 30 minutes, checking the pan juices occasionally. Cover with foil if the breast is too brown. Cook another 30 minutes, adding stock if the pan juices evaporate.
The turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted in its thigh registers 170 F and the juices run clear. Let rest 10 minutes (the temperature should rise 10 degrees in 10 minutes). Remove the turkey to a board or platter for carving. Carve. Discard the onion and garlic from inside the turkey. The turkey can be made a day ahead and refrigerated before reheating, carved, or it can be carved 10 minutes after resting.
While the turkey is resting, place the pan over medium-high heat. The skin, fat and juices should be a beautiful dark bronze, not black. Remove all but 1/2 cup of the fat. Keep as much of the juices as possible. Whisk the flour into the fat and cook, stirring, until the flour turns light brown. Whisk in the rest of the broth and boil until thick and flavorful, stirring occasionally. Strain if lumpy or if any part is burned. Add water or canned broth or stock if a thinner gravy is desired. Add as much cream as desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 10 to 12

Directions

TURKEY TIPS: If the roasting pan is more than 2 inches larger than the turkey, the juices may burn. If you use a larger pan, add a little broth to the pan as needed.

Always remove any bags or parts from the large and small cavities before cleaning and roasting the turkey and start with a clean oven to avoid excess smoking.

Make stock or broth from the turkey bones, leftover skin and parts, then freeze it for yet another turkey. "Because I make my turkey broth months ahead of time and freeze it," Dupree says, "I can use that for the bird and the gracious amount of the gravy."

If the pan juices burn, make the gravy in a separate pan. Use 1/4 pound of butter instead of the fat in the pan. Cook the 1/2 cup flour in the butter and whisk in the broth and any of the pan juices that may still be good.

If you have a sturdy V-shaped roasting rack, try starting the turkey breast down, then turning it over halfway through its cooking time. This produces moister breast meat as well as a breast that's nicely browned, but it is almost impossible to turn a large turkey without one of those racks.