Roast Turkey With Cider Gravy

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Rinse the turkey, pat it dry, and season it inside and out with salt and pepper. Pack the neck cavity loosely with some of the stuffing, fold the neck skin under the body, and fasten it with a skewer. Pack the body cavity loosely with some of the remaining stuffing and truss the turkey. Transfer the remiaining stuffing to a buttered 3-qt baking dish and reserve it, covered and chilled.
2. Spread the turkey with the butter and roast it on a rack in a roasting pan in the over for 30 min. Reduce the temperature to 325F., baste the turkey with the pan juices, and add in the water to the pan. Roast the turkey, basting it every 20 min, for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs more, or possibly till a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of the thigh registers 180F. and the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced. During the last 1 1/2 hrs of roasting, drizzle the reserved stuffing with the stock or possibly broth, bake it, covered, in the 325F. over for 1 hour, and bake it, uncovered, for 30 min more. Transfer the turkey to a heated platter, reserving the juices in the roasting pan, throw away the string, and keep the turkey hot, covered loosely with foil.
3. Make the gravy:Skim all the fat from the roasting pan juices, reserving 1/3 c. of the fat, and add in the cider and the vinegar to the pan. Deglaze the pan over moderately high heat, scraping up the brown bits, and boil the mix till it is reduced by half. In a saucepan combine the reserved fat and the flour and cook the roux over moderately low heat, whisking, for 3 min.
4. Add in the cider mix and the stock in a stream, whisking, bring the mix to a boil, whisking, and simmer the gravy, stirring occasionally, for 10 min. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and transfer it to a heated sauceboat.
5. Garnish the turkey with the herb sprigs and serve it with the gravy and the stuffing.
6. Serves 8.