A chestnut-brown turkey with garlic and herbs beneath its crisp skin. A whole striped bass cooked inside a coarse-salt crust. Thick Caribbean-inspired pork chops basted with a tropical blend of lime, brown sugar, and dark rum. Slender fingerling potatoes shiny with olive oil and flecked with fresh herbs. Warm, tart apples spiced with cinnamon and served with a silky crème anglaise. The secrets behind roasting these tantalizing dishes and dozens more can be found in Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Roasting.

This information-packed volume opens with a brief history of roasting and a discussion of how this technique transforms and enhances food. Comprehensive descriptions cover the types of roasting and explain every stage of the roasting process, from preparing the food to testing the food for optimum doneness, providing all the knowledge you need to roast even without a recipe. Detailed instructions and step-by-step photographs show how to make accompanying sauces and gravies. Roasting pans, thermometers, and other equipment and tools are clearly described and pictured.

Six chapters, with more than 120 traditional and innovative recipes, offer a broad range of irresistible ideas for roasting seafood, poultry, meats, vegetables, and fruits; for preparing centerpiece dishes for special-occasion dinners; and even for roasting foods using an outdoor grill. The recipes, each handsomely photographed, balance everyday fare, such as roast chicken and pork tenderloin, with special celebratory preparations, including Christmas goose and standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding.

Flavorful recipes for bold seasonings, rich sauces, and both savory and sweet accompaniments to roasted foods; illustrations and descriptions of beef, pork, and lamb cuts; instructions for trussing and carving; and an informative glossary complete this indispensable volume, leaving you fully prepared to turn on the oven and start roasting.