Roast Turkey With Bread Stuffing

Name: Roast Turkey With Bread Stuffing
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/4 pound turkey liver or chicken liver (about 3); 1 cup parsley leaves; 1/2 cup chopped shallots; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 8 slices good day-old white bread, crusts trimmed; 1 15-pound turkey; 1 recipe bread stuffing, below; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

By Mark Bittman

Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Rating: 4(26)
Comments: Read comments

Featured in: The Minimalist; Give Thanks: In Three Hours, From Scratch

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Ingredients

Yield:12 servings

For the Stuffing

6tablespoons unsalted butter
¼pound turkey liver or chicken liver (about 3)
1cup parsley leaves
½cup chopped shallots
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8slices good day-old white bread, crusts trimmed

For the Turkey

115-pound turkey
1recipe bread stuffing, below
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 500 degrees.
Step 2
Make the stuffing: chop together (by hand or in a small food processor) the butter, liver and parsley; stir in the shallots and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread half the mixture on 4 of the bread slices; top each with another slice of bread, then spread the remaining mixture on the outsides of the sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into 6 pieces.
Step 3
Rinse the turkey and remove the giblets. Sprinkle the bird with salt and pepper to taste. Loosely pack the turkey cavity with the stuffing, and then tie the legs together to enclose the vent.
Step 4
Place the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan. Add ½ cup water to the bottom of the pan, along with the turkey neck, gizzard and any other trimmings. Place in the oven, legs first.
Step 5
Roast 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top begins to brown, then turn the heat down to 350 degrees. If the bottom dries out, add water to coat the bottom of the pan. Continue to roast, checking every 30 minutes or so; if the top browns too quickly, lay a piece of aluminum foil on it. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees. If, when the turkey is nearly done, the top is not browned enough, turn the heat back up to 425 degrees for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking.
Step 6
Remove the turkey from the oven. Take it off the rack, and make sherry reduction gravy (see recipe) while the bird rests for about 20 minutes before carving.