The Simplest Roast Turkey

A big golden bird is often the centerpiece of a holiday meal—but that doesn’t mean it has to take the most work. This flavorful roast turkey recipe makes it easy to get the main course on the table in just three hours, leaving you more time to take on the other elements of your Thanksgiving dinner (like green bean casserole and mashed potatoes). The key to roasting a turkey in a shortened time frame is: (1) Remember to thaw your turkey ahead of time, and (2) roast it at a higher temperature than you might be used to. This allows you to reduce the cooking time and gives you golden brown, crispy skin while keeping both the breast meat and turkey legs moist and juicy, no basting required. Note that this method isn’t recommended for turkeys over 16 lb., and that for birds under 14 lb., you’ll want to start checking for doneness earlier than this recipe indicates. (Find our timetable for turkey cooking here.) And you’ll still have plenty of drippings for the best turkey gravy.

For this Thanksgiving turkey recipe, we keep the ingredients as simple as possible—all that’s added is salt and pepper. But, if you’d like to perfume your holiday roast with some fresh herbs, tuck a few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary into the turkey cavity, along with a halved onion and any other aromatics (like a few lemon or apple wedges or smashed garlic cloves), so that you don’t have to worry about them burning. For the actual cooking, you’ll just need a roasting pan and a good meat thermometer (ideally, one that you can read remotely to keep track of the turkey’s internal temperature). In just a few hours, you’ll have a perfect roast turkey at rest on your cutting board.