You’ll have to pardon my sketch, here. I don’t have a descent picture of a turkey, and won’t have one until Friday, but I wanted to post this recipe ahead of time for any of you who will be baking the beast on Thursday night!
Chestnut Stuffing
- 3 pounds / 1.5 kg mixed bread (white and whole wheat), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 lb 3 ounces / 550 g peeled, cooked and quartered chestnuts (buy them bottled or vacuum packed if you don’t want to boil and peel them yourself)
- 1 stick plus 6 tablespoons / 200 g butter
- 4 small onions, peeled and coarsly chopped
- 4 celery ribs, coarsly chopped
- 3 tablespoons freshly diced sage
- 5 cups / 1.2 liters homemade chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 cups coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- pepper
Spread bread cubes in single layers on baking sheets. Let dry at room temperature, uncovered, overnight.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook, stirring, until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add sage; cook 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup stock; cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl. Add remaining 4 1/2 cups stock, the chestnuts, bread, salt, and parsley; season with pepper. Toss to combine. If not stuffing turkey, transfer to a buttered 17-by-12-inch baking dish. Cover; bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake until hot and golden brown, 30 minutes more.
Turkey
- 1 turkey (12-15 pounds)
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), melted, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 bottle dry white wine
- 1 cup turkey or chicken broth
- sale e pepe
- cheesecloth
Gravy
- 2-3 cups turkey or chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine
Rinse turkey with cool water and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.??Warm the butter and white wine together and soak a large piece of cheesecloth in it.
Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Tuck the wing tips under the body of the bird , and place turkey breast-side-up in a roasting pan. Season inside of bird with salt and pepper then loosely stuff the turkey with the previously prepared stuffing just before it goes in the oven – do not do this step ahead of time. Close the neck and stomach cavities with toothpicks and tie the legs together. Rub the turkey all over with the 4 tablespoons softened butter, then season with salt and pepper.
Cover the breast and part of the thighs with the soaked cheesecloth, and roast the turkey in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Open the oven and brush the turkey and cheesecloth with the butter and wine mixture and reduce the oven temp to 350°F / 180°C. Repeat this step, wetting the turkey and cheesecloth with the butter and wine mixture, every 30 minutes. After 2 hours of total cooking time, remove the cheesecloth and baste the turkey with the pan juices. After another 30 minutes, begin checking for doneness: insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. When the temperature reaches 165°F / 75°C, remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for 20-30 minutes. It can take from 2.5 – 3.5 hours, depending on the size of the turkey.
Meanwhile, make the gravy: Pour pan juices into a glass measuring cup; when the grease rises to the surface, skim it off and discard. Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat and add a cup of dry red or white wine or water; bring to a boil and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the brown bits. Add stock, return to a boil, and cook until reduced by half. Add reserved, defatted pan juices, cook ten minutes more, and strain into a gravy boat.
