ROAST TURKEY WITH CHESTNUT STUFFING

      Title: ROAST TURKEY WITH CHESTNUT STUFFING
  Categories: Harned 1994, Main dish, Nuts, Pork, Poultry
       Yield: 8 Servings
  
       1    Fresh turkey; with giblets
            -- (10 to 12 lbs.)
       4 tb Unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
            -- at room temperature
       1 lb Fresh chestnuts; peeled*
       3 c  ;Water
       1 lb Pork sausage
       2    Shallots; peeled
            -- finely chopped
     1/4 c  Fresh parsley; fine chopped
       4    Fresh thyme sprigs or
     1/2 ts Dried thyme
       1    Bay leaf
            Salt and pepper; to taste
       2    Garlic cloves
            -- peeled and minced
       2    Eggs; beaten
       1 c  Dry white wine
       2 lg Onions; peeled
            -- each cut into 8 wedges
       4 md Carrots; peeled
            -- cut in 2" pieces
  
   *To peel chestnuts, make a small cut on the flat side of each
   chestnut, making sure to cut all the way through the outer skin.
   Place chestnuts in a medium-size saucepan, cover with water, and
   bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to low.  Remove
   several chestnuts from the water and peel them with a sharp paring
   knife, being sure to remove both the outer peel and the dark inner
   skin that is attached to the meat. If the chestnuts cool before you
   have a chance to peel them, place them back in the water to heat, as
   it is virtually impossible to remove the inner skin when the chestnut
   is cool.
   
   Remove giblets and neck from the turkey; set aside. Rinse the turkey
   well inside and out until the water runs clear. Pat it thoroughly
   dry. Carefully separate the skin from the breast by running your
   fingers between the skin and the meat, being careful not to poke any
   holes in the skin. Spread the butter on the meat.
   
   Bring the water to a boil in a vegetable steamer over high heat. Add
   the chestnuts, cover, and steam until they are tender, about 30
   minutes. Remove the steamer basket from the heat.
   
   In a medium-size bowl, gently break the chestnuts into bite-size
   pieces. Mixing well after each addition, stir in the pork, shallots,
   herbs, salt and pepper, garlic and eggs. Chop giblets and add them to
   the mixture, mixing well.  To test for seasoning, pinch off a
   teaspoon of the mixture and cook it in a small skillet over medium
   heat until it is cooked through. Taste for seasoning and adjust
   accordingly.
   
   Fill the turkey with as much stuffing as it will hold, but don't pack
   it tightly.  Truss the turkey.  Place the turkey in a large roasting
   pan, and pour wine around it. Roast at 350 F. until turkey is golden,
   basting every 30 minutes with pan liquids.  If the breast is browning
   too quickly, cover it loosely with aluminum foil. After 2 hours, add
   the onions and carrots to the pan, spacing them evenly around the
   turkey. The turkey is done when the skin is golden, the thigh is
   tender when pressed, and the leg joints move easily up and down in
   their sockets, 3 to 3 1/2 hours more.
   
   Remove turkey from the oven and from the roasting pan; let it rest
   for at least 30 minutes or as long as 45 minutes before carving.
   While it is resting, turn the turkey over so it is resting on its
   breast. Prop the legs so they are slightly higher than the breast,
   allowing juices to run back into the breast meat. Reduce the cooking
   juices slightly over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes, scraping up
   any brown bits. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Strain juices
   and pour into a gravy boat.
   
   Scoop out the stuffing into a serving dish and keep warm while you
   carve the turkey.  Serve; pass the gravy boat.
   
   Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
   
   The stuffing is good for any poultry, and can be cooked on its own and
   served as a side dish to pork roast as well. To cook the stuffing
   separately, bake it in a covered dish at 350 F. until it is nearly
   cooked all the way through, about 30 minutes.  Then remove the cover
   and continue cooking until it has browned slightly on top and is
   clearly cooked through, an additional 10 to 15 minutes.  If you cook
   the stuffing separately, your turkey may take slightly less time to
   cook.
   
   Also good accompanied by either a red Burgundy or a Volnay.
   
   From _Farm House Cookbook_ by Susan Herrmann Loomis. New York: Workman
   Publishing Company, Inc., 1991.  Pp. 174-175. ISBN 0-89480-772-2.
   Electronic format by Cathy Harned.
[ add our full cookbook to your website ] [ Search The Cookbook ]