Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

It's the end of November. How did that happen?
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and this year was surprisingly uneventful. We had planned to host a small group this year, the Husband's mom and my folks, but his mom was prohibited from flying because of a nasty illness. We had a small, 4-person meal, with a 12-pound bird for the three of us who eat such things. We tried a new turkey recipe, and while it cooked faster than expected, the results were stunning and magazine-worthy. The gravy was also outstanding. We omitted the wine and used our homemade broth to de-glaze the pan. I'm sure it would have been just as amazing with the wine.

The only thing I might do differently next time is figure out a way to get a little more flavor into the turkey. We stuffed the cavity with herbs, celery leaves, and onion, but I wanted a little more. The gravy took care of things this time around, but it would be nice to enjoy a flavorful piece of turkey without the gravy.

The leftovers made several of the all-important day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches and a delicious turkey pot pie.

(Please forgive me for not including the turkey and gravy instructions. Saveur did a lovely job at capturing everything you need to know (and more) about this process.)