Lay your turkey on a bed of onion, carrot and celery, skin side up. Add salt, pepper, herbs and olive oil to the bird, then 1/2 cup of water. Cover the turkey with foil. The foil and water let the turkey cook through without burning.

Add the turkey to a hot oven, roughly 600ºF, and let it roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. After about 1 hour, remove the foil, and let the turkey brown. Take the turkey out of the oven, cover, and let it rest for a few minutes.

Remove the turkey to a serving plate and put the pan back in the oven to finishing browning the vegetables. After a couple of minutes, put the pan on a medium burner and add 4 Tbs flour and a little extra butter to thicken the sauce. Lightly brown the flour, and then added chicken stock for gravy — put the gravy through a strainer to remove the veggies. The kids were thrilled – this was the best gravy ever. As they said, great gravy with a little turkey on the side.

This dish works well with vegetables, such as green beans and cauliflower, roasted in terracotta pans in the oven. Add 1/2’ water in the pan for steam and covering the pan with foil.

It isn’t the thrill of a whole turkey, but you will enjoy it.