TURKEY 101
Serves 12 to 14
1 twenty-pound fresh whole turkey, giblets (the heart, gizzard, and liver) and neck removed from cavity, rinsed with cool water, and dried with paper towels
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), melted, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 bottle dry white wine
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
Stuffing (recipe follows)
1 parsnip, peeled and quartered
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 stalks celery, cut into 4-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 4-inch pieces
1 small head celeriac (about 1 pound), peeled and quartered
1 white turnip, peeled and cut into small wedges
1. Remove turkey from refrigerator, and let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
2. Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and white wine. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters; cut it into a 17-inch, four-layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter-and-wine mixture, and let soak.
3. Working on a large piece of parchment paper, fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as much stuffing as they hold comfortably—do not pack tightly. (Cook remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.) Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string (a bow is easy to undo later; it is not necessary to make a tight knot). Rub turkey all over with the softened butter.
4. In a heavy, metal roasting pan (sides should be 2 to 3 inches high), place parsnip, onion, celery, carrots, celeriac, and white turnip. Place roasting rack on top of vegetables, then place turkey, breast side up, on roasting rack. Sprinkle turkey with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
5. Lift cheesecloth out of liquid, and gently squeeze it, leaving it very damp. Spread folded square of cheesecloth evenly over breast and about halfway down sides of turkey; it can cover some of leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and all exposed parts of turkey with butter-and-wine mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Cook 2 1/2 more hours, basting with pastry brush every 30 minutes and watching the pan juices; if pan is getting too full, spoon out juices so level remains below the rack.
6. After this third hour of cooking, remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so the breast faces back of oven. Baste turkey with juices that have collected in bottom of pan. If there are not enough juices, continue to use the butter-and-wine mixture. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully, particularly over the breast. Cook 1 more hour, basting every 30 minutes. If some areas of the bird start getting too brown, cover those areas loosely with aluminum foil.
7. After fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into thickest part of thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The thermometer should reach at least 180 degrees and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If turkey is not golden brown or the thigh meat does not register 180 degrees, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes. Insert the instant-read thermometer into the center of the stuffing. Temperature should read from 140 degrees to 160 degrees.
8. When fully cooked, transfer the turkey to a serving platter, and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Make the gravy using the vegetables, while the turkey rests.
GRAVY 101
Makes 3 cups
Turkey Stock
1 1/2 cups Madeira
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1. Transfer roasted turkey to a large platter. Pour juices from pan into fat separator. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Separate, reserving fat.
2. Heat the turkey stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Place roasting pan over medium high heat. Pour Madeira into roasting pan, let bubble (increase heat if necessary), and scrape bottom and sides of pan with wooden spoon to dislodge cooked-on bits. Remove liquid from pan, and reserve with pan juices from fat separator. Return 1/4 cup reserved fat to roasting pan, sprinkle flour into pan, and cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Slowly whisk heated stock and reserved pan juices into fat and flour mixture. Increase heat to medium high. Add rosemary, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until gravy is thick and coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Strain gravy from pan through a very fine sieve. Adjust seasoning. Keep warm in heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, or serve immediately.
CARVING A TURKEY
1. When the turkey is roasted, remove it from the oven, and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving.
2. Using two forks, carefully transfer the turkey to a platter or carving board. Then, remove the trussing string by untying the bow or cutting through the string with a sharp knife.
3. Using the tip of your knife, find the drumstick joint, and cut through. Transfer to a heated platter. Repeat with other drumstick. Remove stuffing from the neck cavity.
4. Don’t carve more white meat than you will be using. It has a tendency to dry out, but it will remain moist if left uncarved.
5. Slice meat thinly from one side of the breast, starting from the neck end, trying to retain some skin on each slice. Then slice meat from other side of the breast.
6. Using your knife point to cut through the joint, remove both thighs from the turkey, keeping the skin in place. Remove each wing from the turkey using the same method, and transfer to the platter.
7. Transfer remaining stuffing from the body cavity of the turkey to a bowl or platter.
