For an easy herbal addition, consider a mixture of tarragon, thyme, parsley and sage in equal ratios. If you are using fresh herbs, do a fine chop. Dry herbs will work just as well.

Stir the herbs together in a bowl, then mash it all together with warm butter (at room temperature). You want the butter malleable, not hard and not wet, because you will slide the herbal butter mix underneath the turkey skin where it contacts the meat wherever you can.

The oil in the butter will create a self-basting turkey and keep the skin moist throughout most of the cooking time. It also keeps the edges of the white and dark meat from drying out while the interior is still cooking. Every time you open the oven door to baste, you lose 25° of temperature, so this little trick will speed the bird along.

Onions, carrots and celery are the traditional vegetables we place around turkey. Other choices would be chunks of hard squash (butternut, acorn), turnips or parsnips. You can add a sweet note to the mix by chopping chunks of apples and oranges (with the skin on) and scattering them into the roasting pan alongside the root vegetables. Daring cooks might sprinkle raisins, walnuts and cranberries lightly into the mix. The more fruit, the more sweet.

A quick tip here. Place the turkey on a rack above the vegetables rather than sitting directly on the bottom on the pan. It keeps the back of the turkey from turning soft and mushy, and it gives the pan more room for more sides.