Perfect Pancetta Roast Shallot Stuffed Turkey Recipes

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.

PERFECT PANCETTA & ROAST SHALLOT-STUFFED TURKEY

Steps:

• Up to two days ahead, season the bird all over with flaky sea salt - inside and out and under the skin. Leave the turkey in the tin, breast-side up, and put in the fridge for up to two days; the longer you salt it, the more succulent it will be. Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time by allowing 40 mins per kg for the first 4kg, then 45 mins for every additional kg. As a guide, a turkey of this size should take 3½-4 hrs plus 30-45 mins resting.
• To make the butter, mash the garlic with the thyme, lemon zest and a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar, then beat in the butter until well mixed. Can be prepared up to two days ahead and chilled.
• Gently push your fingers under the skin of the turkey, starting from the neck, until you can push your whole hand down the length of the breast - take care not to tear the skin. Spread the butter under the skin so that it covers the breast meat, reserving 1 tbsp butter for the shallots. Lay the pancetta (or bacon) on your work surface in two rectangles of six overlapping slices. Carefully push each rectangle under the skin to cover and protect each breast. This can be done the night before; take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hr before roasting to bring it back to room temperature.
• On the day, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the whole shallots into a bowl with the thyme, bay and remaining 1 tbsp butter, then season and toss to coat. Lift the turkey into a roasting tin, massage the olive oil into the skin and season well if you haven't already seasoned ahead. Tip the shallots into the roasting tin, around the turkey, and stuff the lemon halves into the cavity. Cover the tin loosely with foil and roast for the calculated cooking time.
• For the final 30 mins, remove the foil and pour off all of the cooking juices (reserve them for the gravy). Spoon the shallots into the cavity and increase the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roast for the final 30 mins until the turkey is golden and the thigh juices run clear when pierced with a skewer, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads over 70C. Leave the turkey to rest on a warm platter covered with foil - it will stay warm for about 1 hr. If you want to make turkey gravy, pour the fat off the juices and add the gravy to the roasting tin. Bring to the boil, then pour into a gravy jug. To serve, bring the whole turkey to the table, along with the herbs, if using. Carve onto a hot platter with a little of the hot gravy poured over. Any leftover meat can be frozen in the gravy, or used in leftovers.

SHALLOT AND THYME-RUBBED ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Position oven rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350F. Place shallots, garlic and thyme sprigs in a small ovenproof baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Cover dish with foil and bake until shallots are very tender but not brown, about one hour. Uncover and cool 30 minutes.
• Place garlic, half of shallots and oil in work bowl of a food processor. Add chopped thyme, mustard, salt and pepper. Process until almost smooth. Transfer paste to a small bowl. Shallot paste can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to four days.
• Rinse turkey inside and out with cold running water and pat dry. Starting at the neck end, carefully slide your hand between the turkey's skin and breast to loosen skin. Spread a half cup of shallot paste under skin and over breast meat. Tuck wings underneath the body of the turkey and tie legs together loosely with kitchen twine or dental floss so the turkey will hold its shape. Place turkey on a small wire rack set inside a large roasting pan. Spread a half cup of shallot paste all over the outside of the turkey neck, gizzard and heart and place onion, celery and thyme sprigs in the pan around turkey.
• Bring a cup of the wine and two cups of the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Pour boiling liquid into bottom of roasting pan. Cover breast loosely with foil and place turkey in oven. Roast for one and a half hours. Add a cup of the broth and a cup of wine to the pan and roast turkey another 30 minutes. Remove foil and add a cup broth to pan.
• Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 degrees F, another one to one and a half hours. During roasting, cover exposed parts of turkey with foil as needed to prevent over-browning and add more broth if pan juices evaporate.
• Remove turkey from oven and transfer to a platter. Tent turkey loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes - its internal temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees. Reserving drippings and discard neck, gizzard and heart. Place turkey on a serving platter, carve and serve with gravy.

A SIMPLY PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
• Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
• Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 4 hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

TRADITIONAL ROAST STUFFED TURKEY

Steps:

• Tear the bread into pieces, and place back into the bags overnight.
• Dice the onion, and leave covered on the counter.
• The next day, saute the diced onion in margarine, stir in sage and chicken broth.
• Place the bread pieces in a large mixing bowl, pour most of the onion mixture onto the bread and stir.
• The stuffing has enough moisture when you can squeeze a handful, and when opening your hand, the stuffing stays in a loose ball. If it falls apart, add a little more onion mixture.
• If it is soggy and squeezes together tightly, add a little more bread pieces.
• If the bird has skin which is binding it's legs together, cut this.
• Rinse the bird, remove and discard heart, neck etc. and pat the insides to remove some of the moisture.
• Push the stuffing into the carcass,until you cant' get anymore in, overstuffing the bird as seen in the picture. The tighter you push it in, the moister the stuffing will be.
• Stuff the neck cavity.
• If you have leftover stuffing, that is a good thing. Place it in a sprayed crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
• Wrap the legs and wings with foil, they will cook quickly.
• Put a piece of loose foil over the entire bird.
• Roast at 325°F for about 3 hours.
• Remove all of the foil, setting it aside and roast for another hour.
• If the turkey does not have a pop up timer, use a meat thermometer.
• When done, set the turkey out on the counter and cover loosely with the foil, let it stand 20 minutes for a moist bird.
• Remove the stuffing from the bird and mix it in with the crock pot stuffing.
• Carve the turkey and serve on a platter.
• Enjoy this time honored tradition with your loved ones.
• You may use more or less sage, according to your tastes.

HERB-ROASTED TURKEY WITH SHALLOT PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Mix butter, chopped parsley, chopped sage, chopped thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl to blend. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Transfer herb butter to small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Bring butter to room temperature before using.) Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Sprinkle main cavity of turkey with salt and pepper. Place whole parsley, sage and thyme sprigs and 4 shallot halves in cavity. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Spread 3 tablespoons herb butter over breast meat under skin. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together to hold shape. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Rub 4 tablespoons herb butter over turkey. Cover only breast area of turkey with sheet of heavy-duty foil. Scatter remaining shallots in pan around turkey.
• Roast turkey 30 minutes; baste with 1/2 cup broth. Continue roasting turkey for 1 1/2 hours, basting with 1/2 cup broth every 30 minutes. Remove foil from over turkey breast. Continue to roast turkey until golden brown and thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes, about 1 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Brush with 1 tablespoon herb butter. Tent loosely with foil; let stand 20 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer shallots from roasting pan to plate. Pour pan juices into medium bowl; spoon off fat and discard. Add wine and 1 cup chicken broth to roasting pan. Set pan directly over 2 burners and bring broth mixture to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Continue to boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes; pour into large glass measuring cup. Add degreased pan juices. Add enough broth if necessary to equal 3 cups liquid.
• Blend flour into remaining herb butter. Pour broth mixture into heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Gradually whisk in herb butter mixture. Add any accumulated juices from turkey platter. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon lightly, whisking occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add shallots to gravy; simmer 1 minute. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with gravy.