THANKSGIVING ROASTED TURKEY - the best recipe

http://www.marthastewart.com/274491/how-to-roast-a-turkey/@center/276949/everything-thanksgiving


The best recipe is the Martha Stewart one. 
I didn't know how to roast a turkey. Every year we all went to my mother's for Thanksgiving, turkey, staffing, mushed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes pie (i learn from my neighbor), apple pie, pumpkin pie, and so on!
I roasted many times chickens! I roasted a whole pork leg every Christmas, I roasted a whole lamb leg...... but, NEVER  a turkey!
I try few recipes from blogs, internet, books, but I was not happy until i found Martha's recipe. There is a video, there is a stuffing recipe, there is how to cut a turkey! Wonderful !

Ingredients
 
1 20- to 21-pound fresh whole turkey, giblets and neck removed from cavity and reserved
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), melted, plus 

1 bottle of dry white wine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 cup dry red or white wine for GRAVY

STEP BY STEP: (for 20lb turkey)

425F 30 minutes

350F 30 minutes

         30 minutes

         30 minutes

         30 minutes

Remove cheesecloth

         30 minutes

         30 minutes

The temperature inside of the breast =165F

Tools and Materials

Cheesecloth
Pastry brush
Instant-red meat thermometer
Toothpicks

Apple-Raisin Stuffing (Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen) 

recipe follows

Rinse turkey with cool water and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.

Warm the butter and white wine together and soak a large piece of cheesecloth in it. 

Peppercorns and coarse salt season the bird. 

  Prepare the Turkey

Place the rack in the oven's lowest level and heat to 425 degrees.

 Place turkey breast-side-up in a roasting pan. Season the inside/outside of the bird with salt and pepper.

  My NOTE: I put a whole orange inside the bird. The Orange is cut in four quarters, and I put bay leaves in the cut and cloves in the rind.

  

                

  

 If your turkey comes with a pop-up timer, remove it; an instant-read thermometer is a much more accurate indication of doneness.

Pull the skin flap at the neck down and use toothpicks to fasten it. 

Rub the turkey with butter and season with salt and pepper. 

Choose a heavy roasting pan with sides two to three inches high; don't use one with a nonstick surface. A roasting rack will keep the turkey from sticking to the pan.

Have melted butter and wine prepared in a bowl.

 Cover with Cheesecloth

Cover the turkey with cheesecloth that has been soaking in the butter and wine. It should cover the breast and part of the leg area.

Place turkey, and legs first, in the oven and roast for 30 minutes at 425F.
  

 

 After the first 30 minutes, brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey parts with the butter mixture and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.

Keep basting the bird, every 30 minutes.

 Baste Turkey

Every 30 minutes, use a pastry brush (better than a bulb baster) to baste the cheesecloth and exposed areas of the turkey with the butter-and-wine mixture.

 Basting should be done in the oven and as quickly as possible so the oven temperature doesn't drop.

 Watch the pan juices; spoon them out and reserve them for the gravy if they are in danger of overflowing. 

 Final Roast

After the second hour of cooking, carefully remove and discard the cheesecloth; it will have turned quite brown. 

Just get cheese cloth out, the turkey is somewhat brown. 

Baste the turkey with pan juices, taking care not to tear the skin, and return it to the oven.

After another half hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone; when the temperature reaches 165 degrees, the bird is ready.

 It depends on the size of the turkey. A 20-22lb turkey will take 1 to 2 hours more.  

My 12lb bird took about 3 hours, in total time.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Apple-Raisin Stuffing
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/apple-raisin-stuffing-recipe.html

2 chopped red onions,

2 minced garlic cloves  

 3 chopped celery stalks  

 1 stick butter

4 diced peeled apples, 

1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 

1 teaspoon aniseed and 

1 cup golden raisins;

6 cups chicken broth

top with butter or turkey pan drippings 

3 eggs,

 a scoop of grainy mustard 

 3 tablespoons each chopped parsley and tarragon.

In a large deep skillet, saute 2 chopped red onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 3 chopped celery stalks in 1 stick of butter for 1 minute.

Season with salt and pepper. Add 4 diced peeled apples, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1 teaspoon aniseed, and 1 cup golden raisins; cook 5 minutes.

Pour in 4 to 6 cups chicken broth. Simmer until step 5.

In a large bowl, mix 3 eggs, a scoop of grainy mustard, and 3 tablespoons each chopped parsley and tarragon.

Add 8 cups each toasted pumpernickel, sourdough bread cubes, and the hot broth mixture to the bowl.

Gently toss the stuffing, then spread it in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dot the top with butter or turkey pan drippings, cover, and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake until golden, 20 more minutes.