Recipe Instructions:
1 15 pound turkey, thawed if necessary, and at room temperature, wing tips removed, reserving giblets and neck for gravy, liver for stuffing
1 cup water, turkey stock, or chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place the oven rack on second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500° F.
Rinse the turkey inside and out. Pat dry. Sprinkle the outside with pepper. If stuffing, stuff cavity and crop, securing openings with long metal skewers. Lace them. Do not truss.
Put turkey in an 18 by 13 by 2-inch roasting pan, breast side up. Put in oven legs first. Roast until the leg joint near the backbone wiggles easily, about 2 hours. After 20 minutes, move the turkey around with a wooden spatula to keep from sticking. Remove the turkey to a large platter. Let stand 20 minutes before carving.
Pour off grease from roasting pan and put pan on top of the stove. Add water or stock. Bring to a boil while scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon, loosening all the crisp bits in the bottom of the pan. These add intensity to the gravy. Let reduce by half. Serve on the side in a sauceboat or add to gravy.
