Christmas is just around the corner, and Miriam -from the food blog El Invitado de Invierno- brings us a special recipe for these Holidays: the typical American turkey, stuffed and tasty, prepared in a Le Creuset cast iron tray. I encourage you not to miss this fantastic recipe, which Miriam tells with much affection and good tips.
Le Creuset cast iron rectangular tray
We know well the stuffed roasted turkey that Americans show us in movies and series; that bird as big as a truck that is usually the center of family gatherings on Thanksgiving and some Christmases. And I say it's huge because the blogosphere is full of recipes to use the turkey leftovers… and can't you raise slightly smaller creatures, you scatterbrains? That way you wouldn't have so much left over.
But let's get to the point. Making a huge turkey in the oven is not difficult at all, you just need to keep a few things in mind for it to turn out perfect. I followed a recipe from the Cook's Illustrated website, in video form, but it's worth watching even if you don't understand English, because the process is shown wonderfully.
As for the stuffing, the most traditional contains only vegetables (celery and onion, for example), herbs and cubed bread, but since I don't find it very interesting, I tweaked it with other things, like dried fruit and cured sausage. The sauce used is usually the turkey's own fat, once the roasting pan has been well deglazed, but I also chose to add a bit of alcohol… ahem. And no dish can be bad with a little dry Sherry.
Ingredients
- 1 turkey of 4-5 kg (young turkeys are smaller and more tender)
- ½ loaf of sandwich bread
- 2 white longanizas or chorizos criollos
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil, 1 handful dried apricots
- 1 handful raisins
- 1 glass of meat stock
- 1 egg
- 3 glasses of dry Sherry
- salt
Preparation
- To alleviate the dryness of turkey meat, the wise recommend putting it in brine for the 24 hours prior to roasting (which is a huge hassle) or salting it well under the skin. This in a way makes the bird marinate in its own juices.
- To salt it we separate the turkey's skin around the cavity where it was emptied, and insert the handle of a wooden spoon between the skin and the meat; we peel them apart carefully without tearing the skin, across the breast and also the thighs.
- We put a tablespoon of salt on each side, corresponding breast and thigh, and inserting the hand under the skin we rub and distribute it. We wrap the turkey well in plastic and leave it for at least 24 hours in the fridge.
- We prepare the stuffing: cut the bread into cubes and toast them in the oven at 150° about 15 minutes, until they start to brown. Set aside. Fry the longaniza sliced into rounds in the oil until browned; add the dried fruit in pieces, toss them a bit, and mix with the croutons. Stir a little more and turn off the heat. Set aside.
- Once the turkey is well salted, remove the plastic. Preheat the oven to 140° so it heats up. Put the stuffing in a chickpea strainer (or a large cheesecloth), be careful because not all of it will fit, it doesn't matter; and put it into the turkey's cavity. This is a refinement so you don't have to rummage for the stuffing inside the bird, it's really very convenient.
- Tie the turkey so the thighs stay in place, place it on a roasting pan with the breast facing down, add the Sherry, cover it well with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. Roast it for 2-2.5 hours, depending on size. In theory you should reach an internal thigh temperature of 54°, measured with a meat thermometer.
- After that time we take it out, uncover it, loosen the trussing and remove the stuffing from the bird. Combine it with the stuffing that remained. Turn the turkey over and baste it with the pan juices, adding water if it has dried out too much. Pour some sauce into the inside of the turkey.
- Increase the oven temperature to 230° and return the pan to the oven. Roast the turkey to brown it for a maximum of 45 minutes, watching how it goes. With a meat thermometer the turkey will be done when the internal temperature of the breast is 70°.
- Remove the turkey and let it rest, covered again with the aluminum foil, for at least 20 minutes before serving.
- While the turkey rests finish the stuffing. Remove the stuffing that was inside the turkey from the strainer and mix it with the remaining stuffing. Beat the egg, mix it with the glass of stock and add it to the stuffing. Stir well and put it in the oven another 20 minutes at 190°, until it toasts nicely.
- Serve the carved turkey and the stuffing separately so everyone can help themselves.
