Roast Turkey with Herbed Oyster Stuffing and Giblet Gravy

By 12_34

Ingredients

• For the Stuffing:
• 2 (1//2 lb.) loaves of day-old Italian or French bread cut into 3/4" cubes (about 12 cups)
• 1/2 lb. bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 TBSP. minced garlic
• 2 c. finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 3 TBSP. minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 TBSP. dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 TBSP. minced fresh sage leaves or 2 tsp. dried sage, crumbled
• 2/3 c. finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, melted
• 18 oysters, shucked and chopped, reserving the liquor for another use
• For the Turkey:
• 1 (12-14 lb.) turkey, the neck and giblets (excluding the liver) reserved for making turkey giblet stock.
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c.) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. turkey giblet stock or chicken broth
• For the Gravy:
• 1 c. dry white wine
• 6 TBSP. all-purpose flour
• 4 c. turkey giblet stock, including the reserved cooked neck and giblets.
• Parsely sprigs and thyme sprigs for garnish.
• Turkey Giblet Stock:
• The neck and giblets (excluding the liver) from a 12-14 lb. turkey
• 5 c. chicken broth
• 5 c. water
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Make the stuffing:

In 2 shallow baking pans or jelly-roll pans, arrange the bread cubes in one layer, bake them in a preheated 325 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until they are golden, and transfer them to a large bowl.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is crisp. Transfer it with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, and pour off all but about 1/4 c. of the fat. In the fat remaining in the skillet, cook the garlic, the onion, and the celery with the thyme and the sage over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened and transfer the mixture to the bowl. Add the parsley, the melted butter, the oysters, the bacon, and salt and pepper to taste, toss the stuffing well, and let it cool completely. (Note: The stuffing may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled).

Rinse the turkey, pat it dry, and season it inside and out with salt and pepper. Pack the neck cavity loosely with some of the stuffing, fold the neck skin under the body, and fasten it with a skewer. Pack the body cavity loosely with some of the remaining stuffing and truss the turkey. Transfer the remaining stuffing to a buttered 3 qt. baking dish and reserve it, covered and chilled.

Spread the turkey with 1/2 stick of the butteer and roast it on a rack in a roasting pan in a preheated 425 degree oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperture to 325 degrees, baste the turkey with the pan juices, and drape it with a piece of cheesecloth, soaked in the remaining 1 stick butter, melted and cooled. Roast the turkey, basting it every 20 minutes, for 2 1/2-3 hours more, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of a thigh registers 180 degrees and the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer.

During the last 1/1/2 hours or roasting, drizzle the reserved stuffing with the stock, bake it, covered, in the 325 degree oven for 1 hour, and bake it, uncovered, for 30 minutes more. Discard the cheesecloth and string from the turkey, transfer the turkey to a heated platter, reserving the juices in the roasting pan, and keep it warm, covered loosely with foil.

Make the Gravy:

Skim all of the fat from the roasting pan juices, reserving 1/3 c. of the fat, and add the wine to the pan. Deglaze the pan over moderately high heat, scraping up the brown bits, and boil the mixture until it is reduced by half. In a saucepan, combine the reserved fat abd the flour and cook the roux over moderately low heat, whisking, for 3 minutes. Add the stock and the wine mixture in a stream, whisking, and simmer the gravy, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the reserved cooked giblets and neck meat, chopped, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the gravy for 2 minutes and transfer it to a heated sauceboat.

Make the Turkey Giblet Stock:

In a large saucepan, combine the neck and giblets, the broth, the water, the celery, the carrot, and the onion and bring the liquid to a boil, skimming the froth.
Add the bay leaf, the thyme, and the peppercorns; cook the mixture at a bare simmer for 2 hours, or until it is reduced to about 5 cups, and strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl, reserving the neck meat and the giblets for the gravy.

(The stock may be made 2 days in advance, cooled, uncovered, and kept chilled or frozen in ah airtight container. (Makes 5 cups)