Being in charge of the Thanksgiving Day turkey is like being entrusted to negotiate a peace treaty. It’s as stressful and nerve-wracking as bathing somebody else’s baby or driving your great-grandmother to the bone doctor. However, never fear. You too can bake a perfectly delectable turkey with crispy skin and moist innards. Follow this recipe and your family will beg you to bake the turkey every year.
If you’ve never heard of the “New Basics” cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, you should run out right now and buy it. It’s the best modern cookbook I’ve come across. It assumes nothing. More than once this book has saved the day, and Thanksgiving is no exception. That said, sometimes “The New Basics” can get a little fancy, what with the dried cherries and hazelnuts and tawny port and all. Don’t let that worry you. If you can’t find dried cherries, use dried cranberries instead. If you don’t have hazelnuts, use pecans or even walnuts. If you don’t have tawny port, leave it out.
First, I’d like to provide some general turkey advice, ala Ms. Rosso and Ms. Lukins:
l If you have the option, purchase a fresh turkey, rather than a frozen one. It will be juicier and more succulent. It should be free of bruises and the cavity should smell clean and fresh. The younger the turkey, the more tender the meat. A fryer roaster is just four months old and most tender. A young hen or tom is five to seven months old, and a yearling is — you guessed it — one year old. Figure one pound per person.
l Thaw a frozen turkey in its original wrapper on a tray in the refrigerator. Be sure to allow enough time for the bird to thaw completely. A 12-pound bird will need about 2 days, a 24-pound bird, 3 to 4. Once the turkey is thawed, rinse well inside and out and pat dry, then refresh — inside and out — with orange juice (do the same for a fresh turkey).
l Never stuff the turkey until just before you’re ready to roast it, lest you kick off a bacteria festival. Also, don’t pack the stuffing too tight; leave room for expansion.
l Basting is key! You know those perfectly browned turkeys you see on TV? They were all basted (or maybe spraypainted). Basting gives you that crisp, golden outer shell that’s so important to presentation and taste. It also helps seal in the juices that keep your meat moist. During baking, baste at least once an hour with pan juices and melted butter. If you don’t have a baster, use a spoon or brush.
l You’ll know your turkey is done when you prick the skin at the thickest part of the thigh with a knife and the juices run clear with no tinge of pink (a meat thermometer should read 195 degrees). Baked at 325 degrees, a 6- to 8-pound turkey takes around 3 1/2-hours, while a 20-pounder can take up to 6.
l It’s important to let the turkey stand, loosely covered, for 15 minutes before carving. This lets the juices settle, which makes slicing easier.
Recipes and comments can be sent to vogel@whidbey.net.
Thanksgiving Day Turkey
1 turkey (18 to 20 pounds—if you’re cooking a smaller one, cut the recipe proportionally), with giblets
3 ribs of celery, halved crosswise
1 onion, quartered
1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
3 1/2-cups water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4-cup tawny port
1/4-cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Stuffing ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups chopped celery with leaves
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound bulk country pork sausage, broken into small chunks
2 tart apples, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped
1 cup dried pitted cherries
6 cups stale bread cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup tawny port
1 cup canned chicken broth
Instructions
To prepare the stuffing, heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the celery and onions over low heat until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large mixing bowl.
Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, breaking up the sausage with a spoon, until it is cooked through and lightly browned, 10 minutes. Add the sausage to the vegetables in the bowl.
Stir the apples, hazelnuts and cherries into the sausage mixture. Add the bread crumbs, and toss lightly. Sprinkle with the salt, thyme, sage and pepper. Toss lightly again.
Add the port and stock, and toss until well blended.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Take your rinsed and dried turkey and loosely stuff the cavity with about 7 cups of stuffing. Skewer or sew the opening shut (just run small metal skewers from one side of the opening to the other, sort of like stitching on a football, so the stuffing doesn’t fall out). Stuff the neck area with about 3 cups of stuffing. Secure the neck skin flap under the turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in an ovenproof casserole and set it aside.
Arrange a bed of the celery, onion and carrot pieces in a large roasting pan. Gently place the turkey, breast up, on the vegetables, and arrange the neck and gizzard alongside. Pour 3 cups of water into the pan.
Roast the turkey for 4 hours, basting with pan juices and melted butter once an hour. After it has cooked for 4 hours, pour or brush 1/4-cup of the port over the turkey. Bake 15 minutes. Repeat basting with port and baking three more times, until the turkey has cooked a total of 5 hours. (If you have reserved some extra stuffing in a casserole, stir in a bit of the pan juices and put it in the oven during the last hour, loosely covered. Bake for 45 minutes).
Test turkey’s doneness.
Transfer the bird to a heated platter and cover loosely. While it is resting, strain the pan juices into a saucepan. You should have 4 cups (add broth or water if necessary). Heat to simmer.
Stir the flour and remaining 1/2-cup water together in a small bowl until smooth.
Whisk this into the pan juices and heat to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, pour into a sauceboat, and serve along with the turkey.
Makes 16 portions, with leftovers.
