Arguably the most anticipated meal of the year for families across the country is Thanksgiving dinner. Even though most of us know turkey is the main course, it's what the turkey tastes like that's most anticipated. The following recipe for "The Perfect Brined Herb-Roasted Turkey" from Gillian Duffy's "New York Cooks" (Stewart, Tabori and Chang) is sure to please the palates at your dinner table this Thanksgiving.

"The Perfect Brined Herb-Roasted Turkey"

Brine

1 cup sugar

1 cup kosher salt

1 bunch fresh sage

3 tablespoons cracked black pepper

1 12-pound turkey (preferably organic and free-range)

Turkey stock

1 onion, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

4 cups chicken stock

Turkey giblets, neck and other trimmings

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Herb butter

Make on the day of roasting

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped shallot

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

Sausage-and-apple stuffing

1 pound good-quality breakfast sausage meat

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, chopped

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

2 large tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into

1 cup chopped celery

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

5 large fresh sage leaves, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup apple cider

1 15-ounce package unsweetened bread for stuffing or 1 pound stale bread cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 extra-large egg

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooking the turkey

1 onion sliced

4 stalks celery, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Brine: One to two days before serving, place 1 gallon of water in a large stockpot with the sugar, salt, sage, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and chill.

2. Place the turkey in a deep casserole or roasting pan that is large to allow most (preferably all) of the turkey to be submerged in the brine. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Turn the turkey in the brine every few hours if it is not totally submerged. (You can also place the turkey and brine in a large plastic bag placed in a bowl for support, if you do not have a large enough container.) Let steep for 24 to 36 hours.

3. Stock: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

4. Cut the last two joints off each turkey wing, leaving the wing drumstick on the bird, and put them in a small roasting pan. Roast until the skin is well browned, 45 minutes to an hour. Put the roasted wings in a soup pot with the giblets and the neck, setting the liver aside. Add the vegetables, 1 teaspoon of salt, several grinds of pepper, the chicken stock, and 3 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours, until the meat is falling from the bones and the turkey gizzard is very tender. Poach the turkey liver in the stock for 6 to 7 minutes; remove, cover and refrigerate. Strain the stock through a sieve into a bowl or jug, reserving the giblets, and refrigerate. There should be 5 to 6 cups.

5. Herb butter: On serving day, place all of the ingredients for the herb butter in a food processor and blend. Transfer to a small pastry bag or small clear plastic bag and set aside.

6. Sausage-and-apple stuffing: Put the sausage meat in a large saute pan over high heat, mash it with a little water until all the lumps are broken up, and cook until the sausage changes color and the water has evaporated. If the sausage is fatty, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of grease from the pan. Stir in the onion, garlic, shallot, and pine nuts, and continue to cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the apple and the celery to the pan. Add the butter and half the chopped thyme and sage, and continue to cook, stirring frequently. After 3 to 4 minutes, when the apples and celery have begun to soften, add the wine and cider and stir well. Increase the heat and boil until the liquid has almost evaporated. In a large bowl, combine the bread and the sausage mixture. Break in the egg; add 2 cups of stock. Combine thoroughly, using your hands. Add the parsley and the remaining thyme and sage, season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine well. If the stuffing is to be cooked separately, transfer to a casserole dish and bake in the oven with the turkey, 1 1/2 hours before serving.

7. Cooking the turkey: About 5 hours before serving time, remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Lift it out of the brine and rinse it off under cold fresh water. Dry the bird with paper towels.

8. Slide a small rubber spatula between the skin and the breast meat to separate them. Pipe half of the herb butter under the skin of both breasts from the cavity opening, spreading the butter evenly over the whole breast area with the fingertips. Rub the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the bird.

9. Fill the body cavity and the neck cavity loosely with the stuffing. Truss the bird loosely with butcher's twine and season with salt and pepper. Spread the sliced vegetables over the bottom of a large roasting pan and lay the turkey on top. Add a cup of stock to the pan.

10. About 4 hours before serving time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position the rack in the lower half of the oven.

11. Put the turkey in the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Check to see if the turkey is browning evenly, and turn the pan, adding more stock if it gets low. If the turkey is browning too fast, fold a 30-inch length of aluminum foil in half, then fold it loosely again and set it lightly over the turkey breast for the remainder of the roasting time. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Roast the turkey for another 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the thigh is 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer and the juices run clear yellow, with no tinge of pink when the meat is pierced. If the turkey is not too brown, remove the foil for the last 1/2 hour of cooking. Take the bird out of the oven and let it rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes while making the gravy.

12. While the turkey is roasting, removed the congealed fat from the top of the reserved stock, and heat the stock in a saucepan. Cut the reserved giblets and, if desired, the liver into very fine dice. While the turkey is resting, use a little of the stock to deglaze the roasting pan, and strain the pan juices into a pitcher and reserve the vegetables. Let rest for a few minutes until the fat separates, then skim the fat from the surface.

13. Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in the roasting pan with the vegetables over medium heat, stirring to combine, then sprinkle with the flour. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it is very thick and brown. Add the wine, stir to blend thoroughly, and cook, stirring until the wine has nearly evaporated and the mixture is very thick. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. Add half the stock and the strained roasting-pan juices, and stir to blend well; strain, and add to the remaining stock in the saucepan. Simmer the gravy for 20 minutes or so, skimming as necessary. Add the chopped giblets to the gravy, and simmer 5 minutes more. Taste, and check seasoning.