Ingredients

  • turkey
  • 1 teaspooon fresh sage
  • 4 short skewers
  • vegetable oil
  • salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Brine:

  • 1.5 gallons water
  • 3/4 cup salt

Stuffing:

  • 1 1/2 lbs sandwich bread, cut into cubes
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 onions, finely chopped
  • 6 ribs celery, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Instructions

Butcher:

Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve for gravy/broth.

Tuck the wing behind the torso. Remove the legs (cut until you reach the hip bone, pop the hip bone, and cut through the ‘oyster’, trying to get as much of the leg meat as you can). Remove the thigh bones (cut through the center of the meat down to the bone, cut around the edge of the bone until you reach the joint, cut through the cartilage to remove the bone).

To each thigh, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon fresh sage. Take 2 skewers and close up the two sides of each thigh. Truss up the thigh using twine. Store in the refrigerator.

Trim excess skin around the neck of the turkey. Take kitchen scissors and cut up both sides of the backbone until you hit bone. Pop put the backbone from the carcass.

Brine:

To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt in the water in a non-reactive container.

Place the breast in the brine and store in refigerator for at least 6 hours. Remove from brine and pat dry.

Stuffing:

Place bread cubes onto 2 rimmed baking sheets and heat in a 300 degree oven for about a half hour until it’s dry. Remove from oven and cool. Place in a large bowl.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in 12 inch non-stick skillet. Add onions and let cook for 10-12 minutes until soft and just starting to brown. Add celery, sage and pepper. Let cook down until the celery has begun to soften, about 3-5 minutes.

Pour onion/celery mixture over dried bread.

[While turkey breast is searing in oven…]

Whisk 4 large eggs and pour over the stuffing mixture. Add cranberries. Toss together.

Place stuffing in roasting pan. Pat into about a 10x12 inch rectangle.

Roast:

Wipe out the skillet and place back on stove top. Brush the turkey skin with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and place in skillet breast-side down. Place in 425 deg oven for 30 minutes.

Remove turkey breast from oven. Using towels, carefully place the breast on top of the stuffing. Nestle the legs around it. Tuck any bits of exposed stuffing underneath. Brush the legs with oil. Sprinkle the skin with salt.

Place plan in 425 degree oven for 30 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 and roast until the breast meat registers about 160/165 degrees (about 40 minutes).

Let the turkey rest. Stir the stuffing and keep warm in an off oven while final preparation.

Take off the wings first. Using a boning knife, carve each breast off as one piece following the breast bone. Remove the twine and skewers from the thigh. Slice the thighs and breasts and serve.

Source

  • America’s Test Kitchen, Season 14, Episode 9