Roast Turkey with Bread-and-Mushroom Stuffing

This is one roast turkey recipe that almost guarantees success. Crisp, browned skin and moist, flavorful meat, paired with buttery, fragrant stuffing—it will make your Thanksgiving celebration one to remember.

Ingredients
Yield: 15 servings

Turkey
1 20-lb. turkey, organic, with neck, gizzard, heart, liver
1-1/2 c. carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2" dice
2 c. onion, peeled, cut into 1/2" dice

Glaze
1/2 c. sweet cider
1 tsp. Tabasco
1/2 tsp. salt

Sauce
1 c. white wine
2 tsp. potato starch dissolved in 2 tbsp. white wine

Bread-and-Mushroom Stuffing
1 lb. crusty bread, cut into 1" pieces
1 c. slivered almonds
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 c. canola oil
2 med. onions, peeled and chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
1 leek, peeled, washed, and chopped
1 tbsp. herbes de Provence
3-1/2 c. chicken stock
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
3 c. mushrooms, washed and chopped
2 c. parsley, chopped

Preparation
To make the turkey:
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare the turkey: Cut off ends of drumsticks, and make a cut 1" deep at joint connecting the drumstick and thigh of each leg. Set a wire rack in bottom of a large stockpot and pour 1-1/2 qt. water into the pot.

Place the turkey (minus the neck, gizzard, heart, and liver) on the rack and bring water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and steam the turkey for 45 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cool slightly, and remove turkey (reserving stock). Place it breast side up in a roasting pan. Put the pan in the oven and cook for 1 hour.

Pour the reserved stock into a bowl and let rest for 10 minutes. Skim fat and discard. Transfer stock to saucepan and add the turkey neck, gizzard, and heart. Bring stock to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and boil gently for 1 hour. Remove the neck, gizzard, and heart, pick the meat from the neck, and chop the meat with gizzard and heart. Return to the stock and defat.

After the turkey has roasted for 1 hour, sprinkle carrots and onions around it. In a small bowl, mix the cider, Tabasco, and salt to glaze. Brush turkey with the glaze and cook 1 hour longer. If bird begins to brown too much, cover loosely with foil.

Meanwhile, make the stuffing:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Place bread on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Arrange almonds on cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Add onions, celery, leek, and herbes de Provence. Cook over med-high heat for 5 minutes.

Pour stock into skillet and season with salt and pepper. Add the contents of skillet, mushrooms, almonds, and parsley to bread cubes. Mix lightly and spoon into two 6-c. loaf molds. Cover with foil. Bake alongside turkey for 50-60 minutes.

To finish the turkey:
Remove turkey from oven when breast and leg reach 160°.

Place turkey on ovenproof platter, and, using small pliers and a fork, pull the sinews from drumsticks through the tines of fork. Discard sinews. Keep turkey warm in 160° oven.

Add stock to drippings in pan and mix. Transfer to a saucepan and rest for 5 minutes. Skim fat. Add wine and dissolved starch and boil. Add salt to taste.

To serve:
Carve the turkey at the table and serve with the dressing, sauce, and vegetable garnishes.

Recipe courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf, ©2001 Jacques Pépin