THANKSGIVING : Tradition decrees that no matter how frequently it is eaten during tye rest of the year, turkey must remain the undisputed star of this holiday’s menu.

With turkey popular the year round, one might expect other meats to encroach on its starring role as the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving dinner. Not so. There’s something almost sinful about even considering celebrating Thanksgiving without a roast turkey involved somewhere. This is one of the few annual meals that is a totally traditional experience for most Americans.

But in spite of the fact that we’re addicted to serving the same foods for Thanksgiving year in and year out, we still search for new ways to use them. New stuffing treatments, a different way to serve the usual vegetables and, of course, an out-of-the-ordinary method of cooking the turkey are recipes much sought after by the creative cook.

And when it comes to an unusual treatment for the bird itself, have we ever got a recipe for you.

At a recent food conference in Seattle, Louis Mahoney, food editor of the Richmond (Va.) News Leader, shared a recipe for roasting a turkey that proved totally intriguing . . . and when tested, delicious.

“Have you ever smeared a turkey with mayonnaise and then cooked it?” she asked. We do it this way every summer when we go to the beach and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It sounds weird, but it’s really great.”

Further questioning elicited Mahoney’s recipe, one definitely in a class by itself. “You need a big turkey for this one,” she said. “I always get one that weighs from 22 to 25 pounds. You don’t make a stuffing, but you can put an onion and some carrots and celery in the turkey if you like . . . just for flavor.

“Then you put the bird on a rack in a roasting pan and spread a pint of mayonnaise all over it. Cover it with a loose tent made of foil left open at the ends, and put it in the oven at 325 degrees. From then on, you can just forget about it and go to the beach or do anything else you want for five or six hours, or until it’s done.

“If I happen to be in the kitchen occasionally while it’s cooking,” she added, “I’ll baste it with some of the juices, but you don’t really need to. Either way, when it’s done you’ll have a wonderful, moist bird. The skin won’t be crisp--it won’t ever get crisp--but it will brown lightly. Most people don’t eat the skin today anyway, so the fact that it isn’t crisp really doesn’t matter.”

Now a recipe like that is hard for anyone who likes turkey to resist trying. So we recreated her day-at-the-beach masterpiece in The Times Test Kitchen and just as Mahoney said, we had a beautiful juicy bird that provided us not only with some delicious hot slices, but remained moist enough to provide some elegant sandwiches the next day.

Mahoney likes to make a Marsala wine sauce to go with the hot turkey slices, so we followed her suggestion and found that this most untraditional treatment of turkey gravy was a real winner too.

While searching out new ways to serve Thanksgiving foods, we also experimented with some different stuffings, for those who prefer a more traditional bird for the holiday. And we developed some side dishes that were most complementary to Thanksgiving’s favorite piece de resistance.

One of these was a variation on an old-fashioned carrot ring. We added chopped broccoli and corn to the carrot and egg base and produced a colorful vegetable mold that tasted wonderful and looked beautiful on the holiday table. This is a particularly good choice for a buffet menu.

A new version of a light spinach and orange salad and an interesting potato-stuffed, rosemary-flavored pasta dish were also nice additions to the festive meal.

For those who find a whole turkey, large or small, too much to cope with, a rolled turkey breast with a lemony rice stuffing may be the solution to enjoying the tradition of Thanksgiving without endless leftovers. A tangy yellow-pepper sauce or a simple giblet gravy will provide additional flavor.

Here are recipes for Louis Mahoney’s Beach Turkey, the Lemon-Rice Stuffed Turkey Roll and some suggested side dishes for a Thanksgiving feast. LOUIS MAHONEY’S BEACH TURKEY WITH MARSALA SAUCE

1 (22- to 25-pound) turkey

Salt, pepper

2 stalks celery

1 large onion, halved

2 carrots, cut into chunks

2 cups mayonnaise

Marsala Sauce

Remove giblets from turkey cavities and set aside for sauce. Wash turkey and pat dry inside and out. Season inside of turkey with salt and pepper.

Cut celery into chunks, reserving leaves for sauce. Place celery chunks, onion and carrot chunks in large cavity of bird and tie legs together with heavy twine. Skewer extra skin of front cavity of bird to back and turn wing tips under larger wing bones to hold in place.

Spread mayonnaise generously over entire surface of bird. Place turkey on rack in large roasting pan and cover loosely with tent of foil, leaving ends open. Roast at 325 degrees 5 1/2 to 6 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in fleshy part of thigh registers 170 degrees.

Discard vegetables in cavity and let turkey stand, still covered with foil, 20 minutes in warm place before carving. Serve with Marsala Sauce. Makes about 20 to 24 servings.

Note: Do not substitute light mayonnaise or mayonnaise-style salad dressings for mayonnaise in this recipe. Skin of turkey will not be crisp and can be discarded when turkey is carved.

Marsala Sauce

Turkey giblets, including neck

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 small onion, cut into wedges

1 small clove garlic, crushed

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can clear chicken broth or 2 cups frozen chicken stock, thawed

Celery leaves

4 whole peppercorns

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup Marsala wine

Salt, pepper

Brown giblets and turkey neck in butter. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender.

Stir in chicken broth, loosening all brown bits in bottom of pan. Add water to cover giblets. Add celery leaves and peppercorns. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour or until giblets are tender and liquid reduced to 2 cups.

Remove from heat and strain into measuring cup. Let stand few minutes until fat rises to top of cup. Skim off all but 3 tablespoons fat and discard.

Spoon reserved fat into heavy saucepan and heat. Stir in flour and continue cooking, stirring, until mixture is smooth. Stir in remaining giblet liquid and Marsala until well blended. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 2 cups.

ROLLED TURKEY BREAST STUFFED WITH LEMON-RICE

1 (4- to 6-pound) whole turkey breast

Olive oil

Chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Salt, pepper

1 1/3 cups rice

1 cup minced onions

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

3 cups chicken broth

1 stalk lemon grass, cut into quarters and pounded

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

White pepper

Whole fresh cilantro leaves

Yellow Pepper Sauce

Bone, but do not skin turkey breast, separating into halves. Lightly pound each half breast on wax paper to flatten.

Rub breast halves with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in shallow glass dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, saute rice, onions and garlic in butter in large heavy saucepan or skillet until rice is lightly browned and onion tender. Stir in chicken broth and lemon grass and heat to boiling.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro, lemon zest and pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Place turkey breast halves, skin side down, on wax paper. Spoon about 1 cup rice mixture over each, spreading evenly over surface. Arrange whole cilantro leaves to taste over mixture.

Roll breasts up jellyroll fashion, starting at long side. Tie with string in several places to hold shape. Brush with olive oil and place on rack in shallow baking pan. Roast at 325 degrees 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in center registers 170 degrees.

Let stand in warm place 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with gravy made from pan drippings and/or Yellow Pepper Sauce. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Note: Any extra rice stuffing can be baked in separate greased casserole during last 15 to 20 minutes of turkey roasting period.

Yellow Pepper Sauce

2 yellow peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded

1/2 cup turkey or chicken broth

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup sliced celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup minced dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

Salt, white pepper

Pink peppercorns

Puree peppers with turkey broth in blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Saute garlic, celery, onion and tomatoes in butter until onion is tender. Stir in pepper sauce and heat through.

Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Garnish with pink peppercorns. Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce.

TRADITIONAL TURKEY WITH WHOLE WHEAT STUFFING

1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

8 cups dried or day old whole wheat bread cubes

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

2 cups chopped peeled pears

2 cups chopped apple

1/4 cup chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon anise seeds, crushed

2 cups chicken broth, about

Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities and reserve for gravy or other use. Wash and pat turkey dry. Sprinkle cavities with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Melt butter in heavy saucepan and add onions and celery. Saute until tender. Combine bread cubes, pecans, pears, apple, sage and anise seed in large mixing bowl. Stir in butter mixture and chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix lightly but well.

Use mixture to lightly stuff both breast and center cavity of turkey. Do not pack as stuffing will expand as bird cooks. Close cavities with skewers and tie legs together. Place on rack in large roasting pan and bake at 325 degrees 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in fleshy part of thigh registers 170 degrees.

Let turkey stand about 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Serve with turkey gravy if desired. Makes 15 to 20 servings.

CONFETTI VEGETABLE RING

1 cup mashed cooked carrots

1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn

1 cup milk

1 cup cracker crumbs

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup minced onion

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

Salt, black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 eggs

Combine carrots, broccoli, corn, milk, cracker crumbs, cheese, onion and butter in large mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Beat eggs until frothy. Blend into carrot mixture lightly.

Pour into greased 2-quart ring mold and bake at 350 degrees 30 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Turn out onto warm platter and fill center with other hot cooked vegetables, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

AUTUMN CRISP SALAD WITH PERSIMMON DRESSING

1 chayote, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

1 bunch spinach, stemmed, washed and dried

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 oranges, peeled and sliced

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup toasted chopped Brazil nuts

4 ounces ricotta, formed into balls

Persimmon Dressing

Combine chayote, spinach, red onion and orange slices in salad bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Just before serving, top with toasted nuts and ricotta balls. (Or compose salad on large platter.) Serve with Persimmon Dressing. Makes about 6 servings.

Persimmon Dressing

1 very ripe persimmon, peeled

1/4 cup oil

1 to 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (depending on tartness of persimmon)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons minced fresh sage

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 to 4 tablespoons orange juice

Salt, pepper

Blend persimmon pulp in blender until smooth. Remove from blender and place in small bowl. Mix in oil, rice vinegar, sugar, sage, garlic and mayonnaise.

Add orange juice to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 cup.

MICROWAVED POTATO CANNELLONI WITH ROSEMARY

10 lasagna noodles

3 medium potatoes

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 tablespoons snipped rosemary

1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste

1/8 teaspoon minced garlic, optional

Salt, pepper

4 tablespoons chicken broth

3/4 cup shredded Jack cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until tender but still firm. Drain and cut in halves crosswise. Cut potatoes in strips, about 4x1/2 inches (place in water until ready to assemble, then drain well.)

Combine butter with rosemary, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Place 2 to 3 strips potatoes on end of each lasagna half. Brush pasta and potatoes with rosemary butter. Roll up into cylinders. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Place 2 tablespoons broth in each of 2 large round or square microwave-safe dishes. Place layer of cylinders, seam side down, in each dish. Cover with plastic wrap.

Just before serving, microwave 1 dish at time on HIGH (100% power), 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with fork. Remove cover and sprinkle with Jack cheese.

Return to microwave (or broiler to brown if desired) and microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese as desired. Garnish with lemon zest and rosemary sprigs, if desired. Makes 20 pieces.