Brined Sage Turkey With Mushroom Stuffing Recipes

TURKEY WITH STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• Place the turkey into a deep, high-sided bowl, cavity-side up. Set aside.
• In an electric kettle (or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl), heat the chicken broth. Put the dried mushrooms in a glass bowl and pour heated broth over them. Cover and soak for 35 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss the onion, celery, and green pepper with the oil and salt. Spread the vegetables on a half-sheet pan and roast for 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle bread cubes over the vegetables. Return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes.
• Drain the mushrooms in a sieve set over a bowl, reserving 1 cup of liquid. Chop the mushrooms and place in a large, microwave-safe bowl with the vegetables and bread, reserved mushroom liquid, cherries, pecans, eggs, sage, parsley, and black pepper. Stir well to break up bread cubes, using your hands to combine, if necessary. Fill the produce bag and return to bowl, if using. Heat the stuffing in microwave on high for 6 minutes.
• While the stuffing is heating, rub the bird with oil. Working quickly, place the stuffing into the cavity of the turkey to avoid losing heat. Place the turkey onto a rack set inside a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the middle rack of oven for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to 350ºF and cook for another 60 to 75 minutes, or until the bird and stuffing both reach an internal temperature of 170ºF.
• Let the bird rest 15 to 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving. Serve immediately

EASIEST TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse: When you're ready to begin roasting your turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse it with cool water. It's ok if the water is tinged pink. Pat dry.
• Roast the turkey as usual: There's no need to salt the turkey before roasting, but otherwise, roast the turkey as usual following your favorite recipe. If desired, stuff the cavity of the turkey with leftover sage and the peeled lemons and oranges from preparing the brine. Roasting time may be shortened; begin checking the temperature of the turkey halfway through roasting.

MAPLE-BRINED ROAST TURKEY WITH SAGE BUTTER

Steps:

• Make the brine: Combine 8 cups water, the salt, maple syrup, sage, bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds and lemon zest in a very large pot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and add 1 1/2 gallons cold water. Stir to combine. Set aside to cool slightly, then refrigerate until cold.
• Once the brine is cold, slowly add the turkey, allowing time for the brine to enter the cavity so the pot doesn't overflow. Cover with a lid or a large plate and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the turkey from the brine (discard the brine). Drain any brine from the cavity, then blot the turkey very dry with paper towels and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to cook.
• Meanwhile, make the sage butter: Combine the butter, sage, parsley and a big pinch each of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Loosen the skin from the breast, thighs and drumsticks with your fingers, being careful not to tear the skin. Rub the sage butter under the skin, pressing down on the skin to help spread out the butter. (This can be done several hours before cooking.)
• Put an oven rack in the lowest position and remove the other racks. Preheat to 350˚ F. Set a metal cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Season the turkey lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Place on the rack on the baking sheet, breast-side up, and roast, rotating the pan after 1 hour, until the turkey is well browned all over and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 155˚ F, 2 1/2 hours to 2 hours 45 minutes total. (Start checking the internal temperature at 2 hours 15 minutes.) If the breast starts to get too dark, cover loosely with foil. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

MAPLE-SAGE BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, combine first 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat. Add 4 quarts ice water to cool the brine to room temperature. , Put 1 turkey-size oven roasting bag inside the other; place in a large stockpot. Place turkey in inner bag; pour in cooled brine. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate 18-24 hours., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove turkey from brine; rinse and pat dry. Discard brine. Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Rub oil over outside of turkey; sprinkle with pepper and, if desired, salt., Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 2-1/2 to 3 hours. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), Remove turkey from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving.

ROASTED TURKEY BREAST AND NATURAL JUS WITH MUSHROOM, BROWN BUTTER, AND SAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• In an 8-quart stockpot or other nonreactive container, combine 16 cups water with sugar, salt, unpeeled onion, unpeeled garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, 1 bunch thyme, and 1 bunch parsley. Squeeze juice from both lemon halves into water and add lemon halves. Place stockpot on stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Add turkey breast to cooled liquid and refrigerate for 8 hours or up to overnight. Remove turkey from liquid, rinse, and pat dry. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack; refrigerate until ready to cook, up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter. In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups peeled, chopped onion, celery, carrots, peeled garlic, sage, 4 sprigs thyme, and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Transfer vegetable mixture to the outer well of a vertical roasting pan. Fill the inner well of the pan with 1/2 cup chicken broth; pour remaining chicken broth over the vegetable mixture. Brush turkey breast with remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter; season with Essence and pepper. Position the turkey breast over the inner well of the vertical roasting pan so that it sits securely upright.
• Transfer roasting pan to oven and cook until turkey is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour. If the skin begins to brown too quickly, cover with parchment paper-lined foil.
• Remove roasting pan from oven and transfer turkey breast to a carving board; let stand for 10 minutes before carving.
• In a small bowl, stir together remaining 2 tablespoons butter and flour to make a smooth paste. Strain liquid from roasting pan and discard solids. Transfer liquid to a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon of butter-flour mixture, taking care not to let it boil over. Whisk in remaining butter-flour mixture, 1 teaspoon at a time, and simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Remove jus from heat and stir in chopped parsley.
• Carve turkey and serve with warm jus and Mushroom, Brown Butter, and Sage Stuffing.

TRADITIONAL SAUSAGE-MUSHROOM TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• Pan fry sausage over medium-high heat until crumbled and cooked well. Set aside.
• In large fry pan, melt butter. Add celery, onion, and mushrooms. Saute until soft. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook down until about 1/3 of the liquid remains.
• In large bowl, toss bread cubes with poultry seasoning, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add sausage and drippings to bowl and stir. Add vegetables and broth mixture to bowl and stir. Add egg and mix until fully combined. Mixture should be moist and bind together easily. (If not, add more chicken broth.).
• Stuff neck and body cavities of turkey, or spoon into a greased 2-quart casserole and cover with foil. Truss turkey and roast as usual or, if baking, add casserole to oven about 30 minutes end of turkey roasting time and let bake for 45 minutes. I have also successfully made stuffing balls with this recipe, rolling the stuffing mixture into balls (I got about 15 of them), placing them on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet and baking in a 350-degree oven for about 25 minutes. They were moist and delicious!

CLASSIC BRINED AND ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Put salt, sugar, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 10 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely.
• Add turkey, breast first, to the brine. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Stir together melted butter and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down sides of turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Loosely fill body and neck cavities with stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey all over with softened butter; season with salt and pepper.
• Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture, squeezing gently into bowl. Reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly. If making gravy, add giblets and neck to pan 1 1/2 hours after reducing temperature; roast 30 minutes, and reserve.
• Discard cheesecloth; rotate pan. Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees and stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter. Set pan with drippings aside for gravy. Let turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Garnish, if desired.