Epic Duck Fat Roasted Turkey Recipes

COUNTDOWN #6 ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY, MY WAY

Steps:

• Separate the turkey legs from the breast, keeping the backbone intact and the legs still attached in the center. Cut the remaining backbone piece from the breast and save (use it in the roasting pan when you cook the turkey). Peel the carrots and onions and roughly chop. Roughly chop the celery. Cut the apples in quarters and remove the cores. Place 1/3 of the vegetables and apples in a container large enough to accommodate the turkey with the vegetables and apples. Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Rub the cider vinegar into the turkey. Place the breast into the container and top with 1/3 of the vegetables and apples. Add the legs and top with the remaining vegetables and apples. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking so the turkey can come to room temperature. Place the vegetables and apples into the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the legs, skin side up, on top of the vegetables, being sure there is room to add the breast later. Put the legs in the oven to cook first, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• While the legs are cooking, make the Herb Compound Duck Fat. Place the cold duck fat in the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. Add all the chopped herbs and lemon zest. Add the salt and pepper and mix for 1 minute until herbs are evenly dispersed. Place the duck fat-herb mixture in a thick line along the long side of an 18-inch long piece of plastic wrap. Roll into a tube, twist the ends until tight, and then place in the refrigerator to set but not get hard, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Slide your hand underneath the skin on top of the turkey breast to separate the skin from the breast. Cut one of the ends off the duck fat tube. Squeeze half of the mixture under the skin on top of one of the breasts and the remaining onto the other breast.
• After the legs have cooked, place the thyme and rosemary in the roasting pan. Place the breast on top of the herbs. Roast until both the legs and breast reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 2 hours and 30 minutes longer. Once you remove the bird from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting it. Now dig in and have a great day.

THE TURDUCKEN: BONELESS TURKEY STUFFED WITH A BONELESS DUCK AND BONELESS CHICKEN "ONE BIG BIRD"

Steps:

• For the andouille sausage stuffing: In a large bowl, mix the pork, liquid smoke, garlic, salt paprika, black pepper, chili pepper flakes, mace, allspice, ground bay leaves, sage and cayenne pepper, if using, with some cold water. In a pan or on a flat-top, brown off the sausage mixture in about 3 teaspoons of bacon fat for flavor. Once the sausage mixture is browned, chill immediately.
• For the Spinach stuffing: Melt the butter in large skillet. Add the spinach, onion, fennel seed, salt and white pepper and saute for 5 minutes until hot. Set aside to cool.
• Preparation of the duck and chicken: It is wise to de-bone the duck and chicken first for practice. Place the fresh chicken breast-side down on large cutting board. Starting at the bird's neck, you will cut through the skin along the length of the spine. Using the tip of the knife and starting from the neck end, separate the meat from the rib cage on 1 side. Disjoint the wing from the shoulder blade and reserve for stock. Work towards the thigh bone, cut through the ball and socket joint and "pop" loose using upward pressure with your hand from under the bird. Using your thumbnail, loosen the "oyster meat" (the most tender part) from the frame. With the knife, remove the thigh and leg bone, but keep the leg attached to the bird. Repeat the process on other side of chicken. When both sides are finished, the bird will lay flat. Grab rib cage by the neck area and gently pull towards back to remove the entire carcass and breast bone cartilage. Repeat the same de-boning procedure for the duck. In a well ventilated area or with an exhaust fan on high, preheat a large cast-iron pan to very hot. Rub the boneless chicken and duck with olive oil. Generously sprinkle with blackening spice on both sides. Place skin-side down in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes then turn over and repeat. Refrigerate.
• De-bone the turkey using the same procedure as the chicken and duck with 2 exceptions: The turkey wings should be left attached to the meat and the bone-in drumstick should be disjointed from the boneless thigh meat and left attached to the meat. The final product should be a flat boneless turkey (except for the wings and drumsticks).
• To stuff the turducken: Place the turkey skin-side down on a flat surface. Rub the meat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic and 1 tablespoon blackening spice. Spread an even layer of cornbread dressing over the meat about 3/4 inch thick and pat down with hands. Spread 1/4-inch layer of spinach stuffing. Sprinkle with 2 cups of the andouille sausage stuffing. On top, place 6 to 8 slices of roasted red bell peppers. Place the chilled duck, skin-side down, on top of layered stuffing. Repeat the layered stuffing as above. Arrange the chilled chicken, skin-side down, on top of the stuffed duck. Spread the remainder of the stuffing on top of chicken. Press down gently with hands to compact all ingredients.
• To truss the turducken: This may take another person's help. Lift the sides of the turkey together. Have a helper hold the bird closed while sewing the back of the turkey together using butcher's twine, making the stitches about 1 inch apart, starting at the back of turkey and working towards the neck. Be careful since the Turducken has no boney frame. Roll over breast-side-up and finish sewing the neck portion of bird. Tie off and cut twine. Now sew up the opening at the leg section of turkey. Truss the legs together with twine. For extra support, tie butcher's twine around the bird's width every 3 inches down along the bird's length. Position your hands evenly under the turducken and lift into a large roasting pan with rack inside. The pan should be at least 3-inches deep to catch drippings during cooking. Rub the entire exposed skin of the bird with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of blackening spice and salt. Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Wrap the drumsticks with aluminum foil. Place parchment paper over the entire bird. Loosely tent the roasting pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 200 degrees F for 12 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove all foil and parchment paper the last hour of roasting time and turn up temperature to 325 degrees F. Baste with the drippings. When done, remove from the oven and let set in the roasting pan for at least 1 hour. With 2 heavy duty spatulas, insert underneath and remove the turducken from the rack to place on carving platter. Remove all butcher twine, including pulling out the portion along the spine. To serve, cut the turducken in half lengthwise, then cut servings crosswise in approximately 1-inch thicknesses. Serve with gravy and enjoy.

DUCK-FAT TURKEY BREASTS WITH GREEN ONION PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat turkey breast dry with paper towels and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over very high heat. Add the duck fat to the skillet. When the fat shimmers, add the turkey breast, skin-side down, and cook until dark golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat and remove the turkey from pan. Carefully stir the butter into the pan juices. Arrange the thyme branches in the skillet to make a bed for the turkey. Place the turkey, seared-side-up, on the thyme and sprinkle the garlic around the sides. Baste the turkey, and transfer the pan to the oven.
• Roast, basting every 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast without touching bone registers 155°F, about 1 hour. Baste once more and transfer the turkey to a platter. Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• While the turkey roasts, prepare the puree. In a medium saucepan, heat the stock over medium-high, add the green onions, and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the scallions to a blender, reserving the cooking liquid. Blend on high until very smooth, about 5 minutes, adding a splash of cooking liquid if necessary to help the blender puree the scallions. Add the cream cheese and blend for 2 minutes more. Season with salt to taste. Slice the turkey breast across the grain and serve with the green-onion puree.

ROASTED DUCK FAT POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together the potatoes, duck fat, salt and pepper. Lay thyme sprigs and bay leaves on top.
• Roast for 30 minutes, then toss the garlic into the potatoes and reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until potatoes are fork-tender, another 15 to 25 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaves and serve, or let cool for up to an hour then reheat, uncovered, at 350 degrees just before serving.

PEKING-STYLE ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• For the brine-2 days in advance: Roughly cut up the orange, lemongrass, and ginger into pieces. Smash garlic. Bring water to a boil and add garlic, ginger, chilies, lemongrass, orange, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and sweet soy sauce. Let it simmer until sugar and salt dissolve, about 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and refrigerate overnight.
• For brining the turkey-1 day in advance: Place turkey and turkey neck into the chilled brine. Add more water, enough to cover the turkey. Cover with lid and refrigerate, 24 hours.
• For the turkey: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove turkey from the brine and place it on a sheet tray lined with paper towels; allow it to dry and come to room temperature, 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the aromatics to be cooked with the turkey. Roughly chop the fennel with stems, onions, apples and ginger. Place aromatics around the turkey and inside the cavity. Next, make a compound butter by combining butter and sweet soy sauce. Rub a quarter of the butter all over the turkey. Discard the thermometer probe that comes with the turkey and replace it with a kitchen thermometer in the same spot or in the deepest part of the turkey. Roast the turkey to 160 degrees F, about 3 hours. (Note: it will continue to cook after it comes out of the oven.)
• As the turkey cooks, baste it with more compound butter every 20-30 minutes.
• When the kitchen thermometer in the turkey reads 160 degrees F, remove it from the oven and let it rest. The temperature will continue to rise slowly as it rests outside the oven. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.