I'm not a turkey fan. This is not the first time you've heard me state that, and it probably won't be the last. But every once in a while, you get a good one - or a good recipe. We, meaning my husband and I, cooked three turkeys for a crowd at our church dinner last week using this winning method, below. Of course, we had to have the yearly stuffing/dressing debate. In order to try this turkey recipe, I won this year, and we made dressing (stuffing that's not stuffed into the bird, but baked in a pan.) Two things I never make are turkey and dressing, so it was completely off the cuff. My husband said he loved it. After years of losing the stuffing fight, I just glared at him. Here's what I put in the dressing - I didn't measure - this is one time when you have to just jump off the board and swim:
4 boxes of Paxo/Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix - in the US, that's probably only 1 big bag
chicken broth - I think I used 1 qt (liter) - I did go by the instructions on the box
about 4oz sour cream
secret ingredient: large bag from the wholesale club of Sahale "Valdosta" Pecans, chopped - had to get a little bit of Georgia in there
What would I have done differently?
Could have used regular pecans and craisins - cheaper
Added more poultry seasoning and pepper
Added a cup or two of apple juice/cider as a substitute for some of the chicken stock
The gravy from this turkey recipe was really good on this dressing, and guess what? You got it. I'm not a dressing or a gravy fan, either.
DINE-IN CIDER TURKEY
(adjust amounts to the size of your turkey)
1 24 lb turkey - thawed if frozen, neck and giblets removed
1 c butter, softened
4 apples, cored and cut in wedges
2 T ground sage or poultry seasoning
1 t ground black pepper
1 T salt
1 liter or quart of Extra Dry Apple Cider (alcoholic or non-alcoholic, your choice)
Set oven or electric roaster to 350F. Rinse turkey and pat dry. Mix seasonings into softened butter. Loosen skin over turkey breast and smear seasoned butter between skin and meat, as well as all over turkey cavity. Place apples inside cavity.
Put bird into a roasting bag and place bag in roasting pan, or, place bird into your electric roaster if applicable. Pour cider under the breast skin, into the cavity and over the entire bird. Seal bag if applicable, and cut slits according to manufacturer's instructions.
Turkey producers say to roast turkey until internal temperature is 180F when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. I think we removed ours at 165F, as the drumstick meat was already pulling away from the bone, and the temp does continue to rise a bit after removing it from the oven. Make sure it sits at least 20min before carving - perfect timing for making gravy.
See my 'How-To' post on making gravy.
Kemala, I roast a turkey the old-fashioned way, with a few minor modifications. I start with a fresh (not frozen) organic free-run turkey. The meat of a free-run has a much more pleasing texture than a cage-raised bird.
ReplyDeleteRinse the bird, inside and out, with 1/4 cup of whiskey or brandy (kills bacteria) and pat dry with paper towel.
Line the inside of the cavity with cheese cloth (an important step - see below) and stuff with traditional made-from-scratch bread stuffing (cubed bread, chopped onion and celery, butter, thyme, sage, S&P).
Preheat oven to 400. Set bird on a rack in a shallow open roasting pan, place in oven, and lower heat to 325. Baste with pan juices every half hour or so. When the turkey is golden brown, loosely cover with a tinfoil tent to prevent excessive browning but still allow the steam to escape.
After the turkey comes out of the oven, immediately remove the stuffing-filled cheesecloth liner and dump it in a serving bowl. This is SO much quicker and easier than scooping it out by hand! I always bake extra stuffing in a casserole and combine that with the stuffing that comes out of the turkey.
Escept for the whiskey and cheesecloth, this is just the way my grandmother did it and is still works for me, every time, year after year.
Merry Christmas!
Lee
Craisins? Ohh.. Dried cranberries by Ocean Spray.
ReplyDeleteHad to Google that one!