ROAST TURKEY QUARTER OR HALF

Rub inside of cleaned turkey quarter with salt. To keep meat from drying, fasten skin with skewers over meat at bone edge all around cavity. Or with heavy cord and big needle lace across cavity, catching the skin with each stitch. With a front quarter, sew wing tightly to body or fasten with skewers put in firmly at an angle. With a rear quarter, sew drumstick to tail.

Place quarter, skin side up, on a rack in roasting pan. Cover with thin greased cloth or brush skin with fat. Do not add Water. Do not cover pan. Roast at 325 degrees F (slow oven), basting several times with drippings.

Front quarters weighing tinder 5 pounds need 45 to 55 minutes per pound; more than 5 pounds, 40 to 50 minutes per pound.

Rear quarters weighing under 5 pounds need 50 to 60 minutes per pound; those weighing more than 5 pounds, 45 to 55 minutes per pound.

(Turkey is done when the meat thermometer reaches the following temperatures: 180 degrees F deep in the thigh; also, juices should be clear, not reddish pink when thigh muscle is pierced deeply and 170 degrees F for the turkey breast. Or 165 degrees F in the center of the stuffing, if turkey is stuffed.)

Stuffing may be prepared and baked while the turkey cooks or, if preferred, quarters may be stuffed and then roasted. Use heavy paper to hold stuffing in place.

A turkey half, often economical for the larger family, may be roasted in much the same way as a quarter. Roast at 300 degrees F., allowing 35 to 40 minutes per pound for a half weighing 7 to 9 pounds.

Serve with mashed potatoes or turnips, Snap beans, cranberry relish, and fruit pie.

Adapted from source: Money-Saving Main Dishes, USDA Home and Garden Bulletin No. 43, 1955