Roast turkey the old-fashioned way (a beginner's guide)

Editor’s note: This story, an abridged version of which you have before you, was originally published in December 1997 in the runup to Christmas. If you’re fixing your first holiday turkey feast, these timeless basics know no season. Happy cooking and holiday feasting.
MONTREAL – Danny Pitre’s mouth waters when he reminisces about the turkey dinners at his grandmother’s house. “It was always a festive occasion, a real spread, and my grandmother made this fant