Roasted Whole Turkey with Gravy And My Mothers Stuffing
From luisascatering 15 years ago
- 240 minutes to make
- Serves 12
This is the one (and only) roasted turkey recipe I have used ever since my first time roasting a turkey. The technique with the cheesecloth produces a moist, flavorful turkey with crispy, mahogany colored skin. The stuffing is adapted from my mother's recipe. Read more To this day I have never tasted a stuffing more delicious (or as unique). Of course the stuffing is great on it's own but cooking it INSIDE the turkey, with all the turkey juices and flavor seeping through... it's just heavenly! See less
Ingredients
- For roasted Whole Turkey: shopping list
- 1 twenty- to twenty-one-pound fresh whole turkey, giblets discarded and neck removed from cavity and reserved. Note: Brine turkey over night with water, kosher salt (be generous) black peppercorns, bay leaf shopping list
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), melted, plus 4 tablespoons at room temperature shopping list
- 1 bottle dry white wine shopping list
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- Mom's Stuffing: shopping list
- 2 bunches sliced green onions shopping list
- 6 stalks of celery, finely chopped shopping list
- 2 sticks unsalted butter shopping list
- 3 small packages of white mushrooms, finely chopped in food processor (you can use any type/mix of mushrooms) shopping list
- 4 bags Colombo brand French bread croutons (homemade French bread croutons are great too of course!) shopping list
- Fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley and sage, chopped fine shopping list
- spice Island poultry seasoning (or use the little packets of seasoning that comes with bagged croutons) shopping list
- ground pork and chicken and homemade stock (below) shopping list
- kosher salt, freshly cracked black and white pepper to taste shopping list
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ shopping list
- ground pork and chicken and homemade stock: shopping list
- 4 whole chicken breasts, with bone & skin shopping list
- 4 pork loin chops, bone in center cut shopping list
- Reserved turkey neck shopping list
- 1 onion, quartered shopping list
- 2 stalks of celery shopping list
- Bouquet garni: whole allspice, parsley with stems, thyme, bay leaves and black, pink and white peppercorns (put all these things together in cheesecloth, making a big baggie, twist and secure with butcher’s twine) shopping list
- kosher salt shopping list
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- Gravy: please see directions below shopping list
How to make it
- Homemade Stock:
- Cover meat with water. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered for 1 hour, skimming off the scum that rises occasionally. Take off heat and let sit for another hour, uncovered.
- Take meat off bones, discarding chicken skin. In batches, add pieces of meat to food processor and process until finely ground. Season with salt & pepper if needed. Reserve for stuffing.
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- For Stuffing:
- Sauté the celery, mushrooms and half the green onions in large skillet with butter until mushrooms have released most of their moisture, season with kosher salt & white pepper to taste. Transfer to large aluminum tray. Add ground meat and remaining green onions, stir to combine. Add french bread croutons, stir and add seasoning & herbs. Moisten with hot stock.
- Note: If placing stuffing inside turkey, be careful not to over moisten with the stock, as the turkey will release juices as it bakes that will further moisten the stuffing.
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- For Whole Roasted Turkey:
- Remove thawed turkey from brine and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Heat oven to 450° with a rack on the bottom. Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut into a 17-inch, four-layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine; let soak.
- Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. If the turkey comes with a pop-up timer, remove it; using an instant-read thermometer later will give a more accurate indication of doneness. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large cavity with as much stuffing as it will hold comfortably; do not pack tightly. (Cook any remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish at 375° ). Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string (a bow will be easy to untie later). Fold neck flap under and secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey with the softened butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
- Lift cheesecloth out of liquid and squeeze it slightly, leaving it very damp; reserve remaining liquid. Spread it evenly over the breast and about halfway down the sides of the turkey; it can cover some of the leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and exposed parts of turkey with butter-and-wine mixture. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes and watching pan juices; if the pan gets too full, spoon out juices, reserving them for gravy.
- After the third hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. If there are not enough juices, continue to use the butter-and-wine mixture. The skin will get fragile as it browns, so baste carefully. Cook 1 more hour, basting after 30 minutes.
- After the fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding any bones. The temperature should reach 180° (stuffing should be between
- 140° and 160° ) and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If legs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes.
- When fully cooked, transfer turkey to a serving platter and let rest for about 30 minutes.
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- For Gravy:
- Pour all of the pan juices from turkey into a glass measuring cup. Let stand until fat rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim it off and reserve 1/4 cup. Add turkey fat to saucepan with 2 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of flour, making a roux. Add 1/2 cup dry white to the pan. Bring to a boil. Using a whisk, add reserved pan juices and some stock from the stuffing to pan until it is the consistency you like. Stir well and bring back to the boil. Lower heat to medium and add 1/4 cup cream. Season to taste with kosher salt and white pepper and cook for 10 minute more. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of gravy. Pour into a warm gravy boat, and serve with turkey
The Rating
Reviewed by 9 people-
This IS the best stuffing recipe I have ever seen! And what a great idea to brine the turkey overnight. Brilliant! Luisa, you have done it again! 5+++++++
elgab89
in Toronto loved it
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My new thanksgiving tradition!! LOL Sounds and looks wonderful. I will be trying this out, thanks
mango
in Marion loved it
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I feel that when you brine the turkey overnight it improves the overall moisture and flavor.
High Five
Michael
trigger
in loved it
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