The trick to keeping them from drying out is not to over cook them....

Talking about turkey breast for two...here's what I have done with good results: I was feeling under the weather with the flu one Christmas and as there were just the two of us for Christmas dinner I made a change and instead of buying a whole turkey, I bought a whole breast, which I roasted with an orange, onion, jam and thyme glaze. The results came out so tender and juicy that even I was surprised. I made a quick dressing which I cooked alongside in a separate dish and made a gravy from deglazing the pan with the vegetable water and a little help from a teaspoon each of Bisto gravy granules, Knorr dry onion soup, cornstarch and an Avecrem chicken stock cube. Served with brussels sprouts, peas, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy. So this is what I did: Ingredients: 2 TBS sugarless apricot jam 1 heaping TBS dried thyme + a little more for sprinkling on top 1 teasp garlic powder fresh ground black pepper 2 TBS runny honey 2 TBS butter 1 orange 1 onion cut into 8ths Turkey breast weighing 1.360 kg (slightly under 3 lbs) 1. Preheat oven to 350F (I used 325F in my fan oven) 2. In small bowl, mix the jam, thyme and garlic powder to a paste. Spread all over the turkey breast. 3. Cut orange in half and squeeze some of the juice over the turkey, then cut orange into slices and arrange under and on top along with the slices of onion. 4. Cut butter into pieces and dot all over and under breast, then drizzle honey over all. 5. Grind black pepper over top and sprinkle on a little more dried thyme. 6. Cover with foil and roast 1 hour, then remove foil, baste once with juices and butter in pan and roast for another half hour (without foil) or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast reads 170F. 7. Serve with turkey dressing, cranberry sauce and gravy. SharonCb

I used the attached recipe once. The turkey part of it was great. The gravy, not so much, although The Bitten Word Boys thought it was fabulous. Oh, I couldn't find turkey leg quarters, so I dismantled the turkey myself. I can cut up a chicken, how hard can it be to cut up a turkey? The answer is: harder than a chicken! Make-Ahead Turkey Cook's Country (October/November 2011) Serves 10 to 12 Check the label when you're shopping for turkey. If there's an ingredient list, the bird has been enhanced and will work in this recipe. If you prefer natural, unenhanced parts, we recommend brining. (Dissolve 1 cup of salt in 2 gallons of cold water. Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. Proceed with step 1 of Day 1, omitting the salt for seasoning.) Notes from Zach and Clay of TheBittenWord.com: Several readers have written to ask about the two turkey legs are used in the making of the gravy for this recipe. Are they served or discarded? The answer is that the legs are discarded along with the other solids after you make the stock, as the flavor of them has mostly been extracted in order to make a flavorful base for the gravy. INGREDIENTS 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 4 (1½- to 1¾-pound) turkey leg quarters, trimmed 1 (6- to 7-pound) whole bone-in turkey breast, trimmed 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Salt and pepper 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 4 cups water 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup all-purpose flour DIRECTIONS DAY 1 Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme in large roasting pan. Set V-rack inside pan. Pat turkey legs and breast dry with paper towels. Arrange 2 legs and breast, skin side up, in V-rack. Brush turkey with butter and season with salt and pepper. Place remaining 2 legs in 13 by 9-inch baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Place roasting pan on middle rack and baking dish on lower rack. Roast until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 2 to 2½ hours. Transfer 2 legs and breast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Transfer vegetables in roasting pan and remaining 2 legs to large pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth, water, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Simmer over medium-low heat until reduced to 5 cups, 1¼ to 1½ hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container, discarding solids. Let cool for 1 hour, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 2 days. Wrap cooled legs and breast tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. DAY 2 Scrape fat from top of chilled stock and reserve 5 tablespoons. Bring stock to simmer in medium saucepan. Set aside ¼ cup stock. Heat reserved fat in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in remaining 4¾ cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to 4 cups, 12 to 14 -minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Transfer legs and breast to carving board. Separate legs into thighs and drumsticks and arrange on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Cut breast meat from bone into 2 single breasts. Working one at a time, remove skin from breast in 1 piece; reserve. Slice breast crosswise into ¼-inch slices and place on 18 by 12-inch sheet of aluminum foil, keeping slices together. Pour 2 tablespoons reserved stock over each breast and top with reserved skin. Wrap tightly and place on rack with legs. Roast until turkey is heated through and thighs and drumsticks are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard breast skin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with gravy. Here is a link that might be useful: The Bitten Word Make Ahead Turkey

Lots of good info there! Of course, the genius of the antiquated Gardenweb format is that we keep answering the same questions over and over, and our answers change slightly over time as we learn new things and refine our techniques. I've pretty much given up stuffing the bird. It affected cooking time too much, took too long at the wrong time in my schedule, and, probably from using the wrong kind of bread-things, wasn't coming out the way my mother's did. Before I start, I clean the sink area really well, and unwrap in the sink. It's the best way for me to contain potential contamination. Before touching the turkey, I put on close fitting food service gloves. They also help remind one not to touch anything else, but they also keep my hands warm handling that big, cold bird. The giblets go in a prep bowl to be addressed later. The turkey is inspected well for feathers and pinfeathers, which are removed, and I make sure the cavity is clean. Since I'm going to be scrubbing down the sink anyway, I do rinse the bird. It seems to like it, whereas the chickens I get from the butcher's case don't seem to care about bathing. Then it's open the trash can and blot dry with paper towels, which go right into said trash can without touching anything. The turkey goes on a large food service board I keep for the purpose (meats) and which can go in the dishwasher. I cut a long branch of tarragon into turkey sized lengths and put them in the cavity, sometimes with a lemon or orange which has had its zest removed to the desserts or similar. My birds are usually about 22 lbs. so there's plenty of room. I also season inside and out, usually with a blend of salt and pepper, and whatever else takes my fancy. It's more habit than anything. I don't think it really affects the flavor of such a big bird. Sometimes I put chunked root vegetables in the bottom of the roaster (Le Creuset cast iron--wonderful "goose pot". I also have a silicone covered rack that goes in, then the turkey. A bottle of inexpensive but palatable white wine goes over the top. Usually, my turkey is too big for the lid to go on, so I crimp the edges of a sheet of heavy duty foil and lay it on top like a blanket. Whenever I think of it--about once every hour or two--I baste the turkey, but mostly that lets me keep an eye on it. I figure the time by poundage and pull it out to rest for at least half an hour, then carve. It's always brown and gorgeous. People sneak into the kitchen and take pictures of it while its resting. I don't do anything special to achieve this, so am bemused by the reaction.