Roast turkey: Heat oven to 425°F with rack in lowest position. Discard any excess fat from inside turkey cavity. Pat dry inside and out.
Stir together butter, sage, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Grate enough zest from orange to measure 1 teaspoon and add to butter mixture. Quarter orange lengthwise and reserve.
Starting at (smaller) neck cavity, gently slide an index finger between skin and flesh of breast to loosen skin (be careful not to tear skin). Push butter mixture evenly under skin on both sides of breast, and rub skin from outside to distribute butter evenly.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in turkey cavities.
Stuff neck cavity (smaller cavity) with a few orange and onion wedges, then fold neck skin under body and secure with metal skewers.
Stuff larger cavity with remaining onion and orange wedges, then tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and tuck wings under body.
Put turkey on rack in roasting pan and sprinkle skin all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (if you are using a kosher turkey, see the Cooks' note) and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add 1 cup water to pan and roast turkey 30 minutes at 425°F.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Rotate turkey 180 degrees and roast 30 minutes. Rotate turkey again 180 degrees and baste with pan juices. Tent turkey loosely with foil and continue to roast, rotating and basting with juices every 30 minutes (if pan becomes completely dry, add 1/2 cup water) until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thighs and thickest part of breasts (test both sides, close to but not touching bone) registers at least 165°F, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. (Total roasting time will be 2 1/2 to 3 hours.)
Carefully tilt turkey so juices in large cavity run into pan. Transfer turkey to a platter, reserving juices in pan. Let turkey stand, uncovered, 30 minutes. Discard onions and oranges from large cavity and wait to discard onions and oranges in smaller cavity until they are accessible during carving.
Make gravy while turkey stands: Pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into 2-quart glass measure (do not clean roasting pan), then skim off and discard fat. (If using a fat separator, pour pan juices through sieve into separator and let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully pour pan juices from separator into measure, discarding fat.)
Position roasting pan across 2 burners, then add 1 cup water and deglaze roasting pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Pour through sieve into measure containing pan juices. Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to bring total to 4 cups (if stock is congealed, heat to liquefy).
Melt butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add stock mixture in a stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Stir in any turkey juices accumulated on platter and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper.
Cooks' note: If using a kosher turkey, reduce the salt sprinkled on the skin to 1 teaspoon.

Kitchen-Friendly View

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving Per 100 g

Amount Per 1 Serving
Calories	3829.91 Kcal (16035 kJ)
Calories from fat	379.7 Kcal
		% Daily Value*
Total Fat	42.19g	65%
Cholesterol	618.25mg	206%
Sodium	51378.63mg	2141%
Potassium	13651.76mg	290%
Total Carbs	169.75g	57%
Sugars	30.67g	123%
Dietary Fiber	8.38g	34%
Protein	566.86g	1134%
Vitamin C	1.3mg	2%
Vitamin A	0.4mg	14%
Iron	118.6mg	659%
Calcium	30.8mg	3%

Amount Per 100 g
Calories	12.81 Kcal (54 kJ)
Calories from fat	1.27 Kcal
		% Daily Value*
Total Fat	0.14g	65%
Cholesterol	2.07mg	206%
Sodium	171.85mg	2141%
Potassium	45.66mg	290%
Total Carbs	0.57g	57%
Sugars	0.1g	123%
Dietary Fiber	0.03g	34%
Protein	1.9g	1134%
Iron	0.4mg	659%
Calcium	0.1mg	3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Find out how many calories should you eat.

Tastes

salty
savory
bitter
sweet

Search recipes
by ingredients

Construct & Analyze
Your Recipe

Analyze

Try this similar recipes

Citrus-Sage Roast Turkey Breast with Gravy: Small Crowd

Turkey breast, at room temperature for 1 hour and 10 more..
Warm White Bean Salad

Water, Brussels sprout , butt end removed, halved and 10 more..
Ultimate Turkey Pot Pie

All-purpose flour, Salt and 19 more..
Smoked Turkey with BBQ Gravy (Patrick and Gina Neely)

Salt, Ground sage, Thyme, Black pepper and 21 more..
Parmesan Sage Pork Chops

All-purpose flour, Salt, Ground black pepper and 8 more..
Creamed Onions and Sage

Onions, Fresh mushrooms, sliced, Butter, All-purpose flour and 7 more..
Roast Heritage Turkey with Bacon-Herb and Cider Gravy

Unsalted butter, room temperature and 31 more..
Simple Roast Turkey with Rich Turkey Gravy

Turkey at room temperature 1 hour , any feathers and quil... and 7 more..
Savory Turkey Gravy

Turkey stock, Water, All-purpose flour, Poultry seasoning and 3 more..
Chicken and Dumplings

All-purpose flour, Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder and 18 more..