Ingredients

• a 12- to 14-pound turkey (reserving neck and giblets for making stock, but excluding liver)
• kitchen string
• 1/2 cup red currant jelly
• pan juices reserved from turkey
• 4 cups turkey giblet stock plus additional for thinning gravy
• 1/4 cup red currant jelly
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Garnish: fresh sage leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Fold neck skin under body and fasten with a small skewer. If desired, secure wings to body with small skewers. Transfer turkey to a rack set in a flameproof roasting pan and season with salt and pepper. Loosely tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Roast turkey in middle of oven 2 1/2 hours.
3. Brush turkey all over with jelly and roast 45 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer inserted in fleshy part of an inner thigh registers 175°F. and juices run clear when thigh is pierced. Transfer turkey to a heated platter and reserve juices in pan. Remove skewers and discard string. Let turkey stand 30 minutes.
4. Make gravy while turkey is standing: Skim fat from reserved juices in pan. Add 4 cups stock and deglaze pan over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Add jelly and bring to a boil, whisking until jelly is dissolved. Season gravy with salt and pepper and pour through a sieve into a saucepan. Stir in sage and bring sauce to a boil. In a small bowl whisk together water and cornstarch and add to gravy, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Boil gravy, whisking constantly, 5 minutes. If necessary, whisk in additional stock to thin gravy to desired consistency and season with salt and pepper. Transfer gravy to a heated sauceboat.
5. Skim fat from reserved juices in pan. Add 4 cups stock and deglaze pan over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Add jelly and bring to a boil, whisking until jelly is dissolved. Season gravy with salt and pepper and pour through a sieve into a saucepan. Stir in sage and bring sauce to a boil.
6. In a small bowl whisk together water and cornstarch and add to gravy, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Boil gravy, whisking constantly, 5 minutes. If necessary, whisk in additional stock to thin gravy to desired consistency and season with salt and pepper. Transfer gravy to a heated sauceboat.
7. Garnish turkey with sage leaves and serve with gravy.