Dining and Cooking
Original Collections

Split Roast Turkey

Ingredients

  • 1 6-to-8-pound turkey
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed, or more to taste
  • A few branches sage, thyme or rosemary
  • ⅓ cup butter or olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 pounds mixed root vegetables, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

    About 6 servings

    Preparation

    1. Heat the oven to 450. Use a sharp knife to remove the turkey’s backbone. (Reserve the backbone to make stock.) Turn the turkey over, and press on it very hard to flatten the breast; dislocate the thigh joint where it meets the torso.
    2. Put the bird breast side up in a large roasting pan. The wings should partly cover the breasts, and the legs should protrude a bit. Tuck the garlic and herbs under the bird’s skin and in the nooks of the wings and legs; smear with butter (or drizzle with olive oil), and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
    3. Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables and put them in a roasting pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper and some of the herbs; don’t crowd the pan. Put in the oven.
    4. If the turkey is browning too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 400; begin to check it after about 55 minutes of total cooking; it’s done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 155. Cook the vegetables until slightly caramelized and soft; if necessary, they can continue to cook while the turkey rests before carving.
    5. Separate the turkey’s legs from the torso and slice; slice the breast as well. Pass the meat on a platter with the vegetables.
    • Turn Stock Into Gravy After removing the turkey and vegetables from your roasting pan, place on the stovetop over high heat. Deglaze the pan by pouring in 4 to 6 cups of turkey stock and stirring to loosen any brown bits. Reduce the heat when the mixture bubbles. Taste and adjust the seasoning; do not skimp on salt or pepper. For every 4 to 6 cups of stock, mix together 1/3 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the gravy, stirring constantly. It should thicken almost instantly; serve right away.

    55 minutes

    Dining and Cooking