The traditional "star" of the Christmas dinner is roast turkey. Plump, golden brown, and filled with stuffing, it is a mouth-watering sight. Surrounded by a colourful array of fresh vegetables and cranberry relish, it is for many the "prince" of festive dining.

While aficionados claim they can eat turkey every day, many more tire of it very quickly after December 25. The answer for them, therefore, is a small turkey which makes its entrance on the big day and then is gone ? and this is the recipe to use:

1 turkey, fresh or thawed (about 10 lbs.)

1 lemon

1/2 apple

1/2 medium onion

10 sprigs fresh thyme

4 branches fresh rosemary

2 branches fresh sage

10 sprigs Italian parsley

4 bay leaves

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Trimmings from the turkey

1/2 medium onion

2 stalks celery

1 carrot

2 bay leaves

10 black peppercorns

5 Italian parsley stems

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

8 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp giblet gravy

1 large leek (white part only, cut in 1/4-inch dice)

3 cups turkey stock

giblets from turkey, finely diced

1 hard-boiled egg, finely diced

salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place the wingtips and neck in a saucepan; add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam. Reduce heat to a slow simmer. Add onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, peppercorns and parsley stems. Allow to simmer about 2 1/2 hours. Strain stock and reserve. You should have about 3 cups.

2. : Remove all extra parts; reserve giblets. Remove wing tips. Season turkey inside and out with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; be generous. Loosen up leg joints without tearing skin.

3. Roughly chop lemon, apple, onion, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley and bay leaves into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix with oil. Fill cavity with stuffing and truss the bird. Do not tie too tight.

4. by kneading 6 tablespoons unsalted butter with 1/4 cup flour. Rub this vigorously and thoroughly into the skin of the bird.

5. to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons flour evenly on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place turkey on a rack in the pan. Allow time for turkey to come to room temperature if it is still cold to the touch. Place turkey in oven. Leave in oven for 40 minutes or until the bird is browned all over.

6. Combine 8 tablespoons butter with 1 teaspoon of water and bring to a boil. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and baste the turkey generously with the butter mixture. Repeat this process twice, once every ten minutes, until basting liquid is used up. At this point, the turkey should be in the oven about 1 hour. Now baste twice more at 15-minute intervals, using pan drippings. At this point, the turkey has been in oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Cook 20 minutes more without basting, to allow the skin to crisp. Remove from oven, transfer to serving platter and allow to rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

6. during this resting period. Place roasting pan directly on top of a burner on medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, allowing excess liquid to evaporate. Stir constantly. Now carefully remove any excess fat that has not combined with the flour to make a roux. Add diced leek and cook for one minute. Slowly add 3 cups turkey stock, allowing the gravy to thicken as it comes to a boil. Make sure every bit of the pan drippings has been incorporated into the gravy. Add the giblets and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the hard-boiled egg and remove from heat. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt, if necessary.

7. Serve with fresh vegetables of your choice, and giblet gravy.