Sunday, November 9, 2008

Roast Turkey with Apple-Sourdough Bread Stuffing


This is a great recipe if you are nervous about cooking a whole bird- whether its cooking the whole bird evenly or having all those leftovers that come from cooking the whole bird. While this recipe calls for a whole bird and you cook it in parts. If its the leftovers that you don't want, you can half the ingredients and order just a breast from the butcher.

by Robin Wilson

Ingredients

1 (8 to 10-pound) turkey, cut into 5 parts (breast, legs, wings), giblets removed and discarded **

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

3 teaspoons dried oregano, divided

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 apples, peeled, cored and diced (preferably Macintosh)

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon dried sage

2 teaspoons dried thyme

4 cups sourdough bread cubes

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

**You can ask the butcher to do this for you

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Season turkey pieces all over with salt and black pepper. Rub fresh thyme and 1 teaspoon of the oregano all over outside of the turkey pieces and place turkey in a large roasting pan.

Place turkey in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reads 180 to 185 degrees F, about 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, apples and celery and saute 5 minutes, until soft. Add parsley, sage, dried thyme, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oregano. Stir to coat apples and vegetables with herbs and spices. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add cubed bread and chicken broth. Toss to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Transfer the stuffing mixture to a baking dish and bake in oven at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.

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