Best Roast Turkey With Sausage Fennel Stuffing And Madeira Gravy Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S ROAST TURKEY AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix 2 tablespoons salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper, and poultry seasoning in a small bowl. Tuck turkey wings under the bird, and season cavity with about 1 tablespoon of the poultry seasoning mixture. Reserve remaining poultry seasoning mix.
• Toss the onion, celery, and carrots together in a bowl. Stuff about 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture, rosemary sprigs, and 1/2 bunch sage into the cavity of the turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Loosen the skin on top of the turkey breast using fingers or a small spatula. Place about 2 tablespoons butter under the skin and spread evenly. Spread the remaining butter (about 2 tablespoons) all over the outside of the skin. Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with the remaining poultry seasoning mix.
• Spread the remaining onion, celery, and carrots into a large roasting pan. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables. Fill the pan with about 1/2 inch of water. Arrange a sheet of aluminum foil over the breast of the turkey.
• Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 3 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). Remove the foil during the last hour of cooking. Baste the turkey with the pan juices.
• While the turkey is roasting, make stock: place neck, heart, and gizzards in a saucepan with the bay leaf and water. Simmer over medium heat for 2 hours. Strain the turkey giblets from the stock, and discard giblets. There should be at least 4 cups of stock.
• Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Pour the pan juices, about 3 cups, into a saucepan and set aside. Skim off the turkey fat from the pan juices, reserving about 2 tablespoons.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the turkey fat and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Transfer the onion from the roasting pan into the skillet. Cook and stir until the onion is browned, about 5 minutes, then stir in the flour. Continue to cook and stir for about 5 minutes more; whisk in 4 cups of the skimmed turkey stock and the reserved pan juices until smooth; skim off any foam. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Simmer until the gravy is thickened, whisking constantly, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped sage, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
• Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
• Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
• Slice the turkey and serve.

FENNEL AND CITRUS ROASTED TURKEY WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Pat the turkey dry and let it stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grate the zest from the lemons and orange, then cut the citrus fruit in half and reserve. Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1 tablespoon. Put the butter in a bowl and add the citrus zest, chopped fennel fronds, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and mix to combine thoroughly.
• Slide your hands between the breast and skin of the turkey to carefully loosen the skin. Use your fingers to loosen the skin over the drumsticks and thighs as well. Rub all but about 1 or 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture all over the turkey under the skin. Rub the remaining butter mixture over the surface of the turkey. Season the turkey all over with salt and pepper.
• Squeeze the juice from 1 of the reserved orange halves and 2 of the lemon halves into the bottom of a large roasting pan and then insert all of the citrus halves (including the juiced ones), the fennel quarters and half of the thyme into the cavity of the turkey. Tie the turkey legs together with twine. Add the stock and remaining thyme to the bottom of the pan with the citrus juices. Position a roasting rack in the roasting pan and put the turkey on the rack.
• Roast, rotating the pan halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (If the turkey and wing tips are browning too quickly, lightly cover with foil and remove in the final 30 minutes of cooking.) Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving.
• Using a ladle, carefully remove the pan juices from the bottom of the pan and pour into a fat-separating liquid measuring cup for the gravy. Allow to sit for 5 minutes so the fat rises to the top.
• For the gravy: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the flour and cook, whisking, until golden and nutty smelling, about 3 minutes. Add the Marsala wine and continue to whisk. Slowly pour in the stock and separated pan juices while mixing, making sure to incorporate the flour mixture as you go. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar if needed to balance any bitterness from the citrus. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to eat, then strain into a gravy boat.
• Carve the turkey and place on a large serving platter. Garnish with fennel fronds. Serve with hot gravy.

BUTTERFLIED TURKEY WITH FENNEL, SAUSAGE, AND RICOTTA STUFFING

Steps:

• For stuffing:
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Sauté until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl. Add diced fennel, leeks, and shallots to skillet. Sauté 8 minutes. Add garlic and wine. Boil 3 minutes, scraping up browned bits. Scrape into bowl with sausage. Cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
• Mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and ricotta into stuffing. Whisk eggs, sage, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and fennel fronds in bowl. Stir into stuffing.
• For turkey:
• Mix fennel seeds, rosemary, salt, and pepper, then oil in small bowl. Rinse turkey; pat dry. Place turkey, skin side down, on work surface. Spread half of fennel oil over flesh side. Turn turkey over onto large rimmed baking sheet. Tuck wing tips under.
• Starting at neck end, run fingers gently under skin of breast, thigh, and legs. Spread stuffing under skin. Massage to even out thickness of stuffing. Spread fennel oil over turkey skin.
• To roast turkey:
• Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 350°F. Pour 1 cup stock or broth onto baking sheet under turkey.
• Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 160°F to 165°F, adding stock by cupfuls if pan is dry, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Transfer turkey to platter; let rest 30 to 45 minutes. Reserve baking sheet with juices. While turkey rests, prepare Fennel Pan Gravy . Serve turkey with gravy.
• To grill turkey:
• Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Remove top grill rack. If using charcoal, light briquettes in chimney. When covered with white ash, push to opposite sides of bottom rack. Place disposable aluminum pan in center of rack (you will need to light additional briquettes, checking every 30 minutes during grilling time). Replace top rack. If using 3-burner gas grill, light burners on left and right sides, leaving center burner off. If using 2-burner gas grill, light burner on 1 side; place disposable pan over unlit side.
• Place turkey, skin side up, on rack over pan; cover. Insert instant-read thermometer into hole in hood. Maintain temperature at 350°F on charcoal grill by opening and closing vents or adjusting temperature on gas grill with controls. Grill until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 160°F to 165°F, tenting with foil if browning too quickly, 13/4 to 2 hours. Transfer turkey to platter; let rest 30 to 45 minutes (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).
• Serve grilled turkey with Mixed- Mushroom and Tarragon Gravy.

ROAST TURKEY WITH STUFFING AND GRAVY

Steps:

• In a non-stick skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain. Allow bacon to cool and crumble. Add onions and celery to bacon fat and cook until tender. Stir in mushrooms and cook until golden. Stir in seasonings. Remove skillet from heat and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Soak 3 cups stuffing croutons in water. Squeeze out water from croutons so that they are moist but not soggy. In a large bowl, combine dry and moist croutons with onion mushroom mixture. Mix in eggs and moisten with water if necessary. Fill cavity of turkey with stuffing. Cover opening of cavity with foil. Tuck wings under turkey. Make a small slit in neck skin and tuck legs through slit to secure. Transfer leftover stuffing to a baking dish, cover with foil and bake alongside turkey. (This may need to be moistened.) Place stuffed turkey in roasting pan. Rub turkey with butter and season. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting for approximately 3 hours or 15 to 20 minutes per pound. Baste the turkey with its drippings occasionally as it cooks. Turkey is done when pricked with a knife on the thigh the juices run clear. When turkey is done, transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil. Allow turkey to rest so that juices can be reabsorbed. Place roasting pan over medium high heat. Skim off excess fat with a spoon and reserve in a bowl. Add 3 cups hot chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. In a small dish, combine into a paste 3 tablespoons flour with 3 tablespoons of reserved fat. Whisk flour mixture into simmering gravy. Season with salt and pepper.

ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator an hour or two before cooking it, and rinse and pat very dry with paper towels. Allow to sit on a rack in its roasting pan to come to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 450. Rub turkey with salt and pepper, inside and out. Using a fork, mix butter, lemon zest, rosemary, sage and thyme in a small bowl. Rub this herb butter all over the turkey, inside and out.
• Place onion, orange and lemon inside the turkey cavity. Tuck the tips of the wings under the bird, then truss its legs together with cotton string. Roast turkey, uncovered, in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 325. Baste the turkey with pan juices, and add a cup of water to the pan if it is looking dry. Continue roasting turkey, basting every 30 minutes and tenting it with foil if the skin is turning too dark, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours total. Transfer to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

ROASTED TURKEY BREAST WITH FENNEL-HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add fennel; cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the bread, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and 1 1/4 cups stock. Season with salt and pepper. Set stuffing aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the turkey, skin side down, on a clean work surface. Using a sharp knife, remove the tenderloins. To butterfly the turkey, slice vertically through the right side of breast, starting at thickest part and slicing almost to edge without cutting through (it should resemble a book, with a flap in the middle). Spread open, keeping both sides attached, and gently press down to flatten. Repeat on left side of breast. Cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or heavy skillet, pound meat until thickness is uniform.
• Season turkey with salt and pepper, then spread stuffing lengthwise down middle. Fold both sides of turkey over stuffing. Using kitchen twine, tie turkey at 1-inch intervals to completely encase stuffing and form a long cylinder.
• Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan. Pour 1 cup stock into pan. Brush turkey with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes, until well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the turkey registers 165 degrees, about 1 3/4 hours. If the skin begins to get too dark, loosely tent pan with foil (add remaining 1 cup stock if pan gets too dry). Transfer the turkey to a carving board, and let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and orange slices, if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.