Recipe courtesy of Joey Campanaro
Riesling Roast Turkey with Fig and Root Vegetable Dressing
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 8 servings
- Total: 4 hr 12 min
- Prep: 1 hr
- Inactive: 12 min
- Cook: 3 hr
Ingredients
1 (12-pound) whole turkey
5 pounds butter, divided
3 bottles Riesling (recommended: 2003 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Uhr Kabinett Riesling from Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
4 carrots, peeled
4 onions, peeled
2 heads celery
2 large celery roots, peeled
4 heads garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup dried figs
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
2 Pullman loaves white bread
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup Madeira wine
Salt and white pepper
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 fresh bay leaves
1 bunch fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 bunches fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Directions
Special equipment:
10 feet of cheesecloth- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Debone the entire turkey and roast just the bones in the oven for 45 minutes, turning bones occasionally. Break the turkey down, separating the parts. Reserve all of the offal cuts separately.
- Remove the turkey bones from the oven and add to a large stockpot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at least 1 hour to make turkey stock.
- Melt 3 pounds of the butter and combine with Riesling. Soak the cheesecloth in the wine and butter mixture. Set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
- Dice the carrots, onions, celery, and celery root so that they are all about the same size. Toss vegetables with garlic, figs, and olive oil. Spread out on sheet pans and roast in the oven until vegetables are tender. Set aside.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread out on sheet pans and toast in the oven until golden.
- Combine the roasted vegetables mixture with the toasted bread in a large bowl. Melt 1 pound butter and toss with vegetable and bread mixture. Transfer to a baking dish and add enough chicken stock to cover the mixture. Bake for 45 minutes. Reserve stuffing and keep warm.
- Melt 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add only the offal cuts of the turkey and saute until lightly browned and cooked through. When lightly browned, add the Madeira and deglaze the pan. Set aside to cool, chop into pieces, and reserve.
- Heavily season the remaining turkey meat with salt and white pepper. Wrap the seasoned meat in the soaked cheesecloth. Roast at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth from the skin and continue roasting for an additional 15 minutes. Keep checking the temperature of the meat every 15 minutes until it registers 165 degrees F. Reserve the drippings. Hold the roasted turkey at room temperature for 12 minutes before slicing.
- Toast the flour in a large saucepan until rust in color. Add turkey drippings, remaining 3/4 pound butter, bay leaves, and reserved pancetta fat from the gnocchi recipe (above) and stir constantly until smooth. Cook until thickened. When the gravy has reached a sufficient viscosity, strain and add the cooked, chopped offal cuts to the gravy. Refresh everything with chopped fresh herbs, to taste. Slice turkey and serve with stuffing on side and gravy over top.