PASILLA CHILE-RUBBED TURKEY

Pasilla Chile-Rubbed Turkey image

Provided by Food Network

Time 4h30m

Yield 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 to 3 heads garlic, tops trimmed
6 dried pasilla chile peppers
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
2 onions (1 chopped, 1 quartered)
1 cup agave nectar
Kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 12-pound organic turkey, patted dry (neck and giblets removed)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
Chicken stock or water, as needed

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Wrap the garlic in foil and roast on a baking sheet until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool, then unwrap and squeeze out 20 garlic cloves onto a plate (reserve the rest for another use). Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚ F.
Place the pasilla chiles on a baking sheet. Roast until fragrant and a bit softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with water and soak until further softened, 10 to 15 minutes; drain. Discard the stems, then seed the chiles, if desired.
Transfer the chiles to a blender with the garlic, tomatoes, chopped onions, agave, 3 tablespoons salt, the olive oil and mustard; puree. Transfer to a bowl; fold in the cilantro.
Spread the chile paste all over the turkey. Loosen the skin on the breast and drumsticks; spread some paste underneath.
Put the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan; stuff the quartered onion, carrots and celery in the cavity, then tie the legs together with twine. Roast, basting with the pan juices and rotating the pan halfway through, until a thermometer inserted into the breast registers 165˚ F, about 3 hours. Tent with foil if the turkey gets too dark; add some stock or water to the pan to keep the drippings from burning. Let rest 30 minutes before carving.