Estimated cooking time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Prepare your favorite stuffing, set aside.
Remove giblets and neck from turkey, reserve for making Pan Gravy. Rinse turkey with running cold water and drain well.
Spoon some stuffing lightly into neck cavity*. Fold neck skin over stuffing, fasten neck skin to back with 1 or 2 skewers. If you like, with turkey breast-side up, lift wings toward neck, then fold them under back of turkey so they stay in place.
Spoon remaining stuffing lightly into body cavity. Close by folding skin over opening, skewer closed if necessary. Depending on brand of turkey, with string, tie legs and tail together, or push drumsticks under band of skin, or use stuffing clamp.
Place turkey, breast-side up, on rack in large roasting pan. Rub turkey all over with salt and pepper. Cover turkey with a loose tent of foil. Insert meat thermometer through foil into thickest part of thigh next to body, being careful that pointed end of thermometer does not touch bone. Roast turkey in 325 degrees F oven about 3 3/4 hours, start checking for doneness during last hour of roasting.
While turkey is roasting, prepare giblets and neck to use in Pan Gravy.
To brown turkey, remove foil during last 1 hour of roasting time and baste with pan drippings occasionally. Turkey is done when thigh temperature on thermometer reaches 180 to 185 degrees F and drumstick feels soft when pressed with fingers protected by paper towels. (Breast temperature should be 170 to 175 degrees F, stuffing temperature 160 to 165 degrees F.)
When turkey is done, place on warm large platter, keep warm. Prepare Pan Gravy.
To serve, garnish platter with fresh herbs. Serve with stuffing and gravy.
PAN GRAVY: In 3-quart saucepan over high heat, heat gizzard, heart, neck, and enoughwater to cover to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add liver and cook 15 minutes longer. Drain, reserving broth. Pull meat from neck, discard bones. Coarsely chop neck meat and giblets. Cover and refrigerate meat and broth separately.
To make gravy, remove rack from roasting pan. Pour pan drippings through sieve into 4-cup measure or medium bowl. Add 1 cup giblet broth to roasting pan and stir until brown bits are loosened, pour into drippings in measuring cup. Let stand a few seconds, until fat separates from meat juice. Spoon 2 tablespoons fat from drippings into 2-quart saucepan, skim and discard any remaining fat. Add remaining giblet broth and enoughwater to meat juice in cup to equal 3 1/2 cups.
Into fat in saucepan over medium heat, stir 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cook, stirring, until flour turns golden brown. Gradually stir in meat-juice mixture and cook, stirring, until gravy boils and thickens slightly. Stir in reserved giblets and neck meat, heat through. Pour gravy into gravy boat.
Each 1/4-cup serving of gravy: About 65 calories, 7 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated), 63 mg cholesterol, 110 mg sodium
* Bake any leftover stuffing in covered small casserole during last 30 minutes of roasting time.