Salt-and-Pepper Roast Turkey (Tacchino Arrosto con Sale e Pepe)

Ingredients

• 1 turkey (14 to 23 lb.)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 5 or 6 thyme sprigs (about 5 in.)
• 5 or 6 marjoram sprigs (about 6 in.)

Preparation

1. 1. Remove and discard leg truss from turkey. Pull off and discard any lumps of fat. Remove giblets and neck; save for Rich Poultry Broth. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry and rub all over with about 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon pepper; rub evenly over skin and inside the bird. If desired, wrap airtight and chill 12 to 24 hours.
2. 2. Place turkey, breast up, on a V-shaped rack in a 12-by 17-inch roasting pan; tuck thyme and marjoram sprigs inside body cavity.
3. 3. Roast turkey in a 325º oven until thermometer inserted through thickest part of breast to the bone registers 160º, 2 to 3 hours.
4. 4. Transfer turkey to a platter. Let stand in a warm place and rest at least 30 minutes, then carve. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. (Nutritional analysis per 1/4 boned cooked turkey with skin, based on percentages of white and dark meat in an average bird.)