By Tom Douglas

15 lb. Turkey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 T room temperature butter
6 T melted butter
6 sage leaves
1 T bacon fat, melted
1 medium onion, peeled, cut in half and julienned
5 cloves garlic, peeled
7-8 cups chicken or turkey broth as needed, hot
1/2 cup quick mixing flour, such as Wondra

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Remove the cavity fat and clean out the cavity, then rinse the turkey and pat dry
• In a small bowl, mash the 6T room temperature butter and season with salt and pepper to taste
• Starting from the cavity end of the turkey and using your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the breast meat. Gently rub the soft butter under the skin evenly coating the breast. Insert 3 page leaves under the skin over each breast half. Brush the turkey with some of the melted butter. Season the turkey all over with salt and pepper, including the cavity
• Brush the bottom of a roasting pan with the bacon fat and make a bed of sliced onions in the center of the pan. Place the turkey directly on top of the onions. Put the turkey in the oven and roast for about 2.5 to 3 hours total time. After the 1st hour of roasting, baste the turkey with some of the melted butter and add the garlic and 5 cups of the chicken or turkey stock to the roasting pan. Continue to roast the turkey, basting with butter a few more times until done. If the turkey is browning too much, tent with foil. The turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted in the thicket part of the thigh reads between 165 and 170 degrees
• Remove the turkey from oven, transfer to a platter and allow to rest, tented with foil, for 20 minutes
• While the turkey is resting, make the gravy. Set the roasting pan with the onion and juices over medium-high heat (you may need to straddle the pan over two burners). With a wooden spoon, stir up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and continue stirring for a few minutes. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the onion and juices and stir until the flour is well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add about 2 cups more stock. Also9 add any juices that have collected around the neck of the turkey on the platter. Gently simmer the gravy, whisking occasionally, until gravy has thickened, around 8 to 10 minutes. If the gravy seems too thick, add more broth. Season the gravy to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the gravy into a gravy boat and keep warm
• Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy