Turkey Parcel Stuffed With Tuscan Sausage & Stuffing With All The Trimmings Recipe

Prepare and dry-brine the turkey

Remove neck and giblets from the turkey and reserve for gravy. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Loosen skin over the breasts gently with your fingers. Mix softened butter with chopped sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Rub about 2/3 of the herb butter under the breast skin and the remainder over the outside of the turkey. Season the exterior lightly with kosher salt (about 3 tbs distributed evenly). Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, uncovered, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours to dry-brine and develop flavor.

Bring to room temperature

Remove turkey from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting to come closer to room temperature. Preheat oven per roasting step when 30 minutes remain.

Cook sausage and aromatics

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, stirring, until browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer sausage to a bowl leaving rendered fat in the pan. Add remaining 1 tbs olive oil and 2 tbs butter to the skillet; add diced onion, celery and carrot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute.

Combine stuffing components

In a large mixing bowl, combine torn bread, cooked sausage and softened vegetables. Stir in chopped parsley, chopped apricots and chopped walnuts. Sprinkle dried Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper over the mixture. Pour 2 cups warm stock over the bread mixture and fold until moistened but not soggy. Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly; if mixture seems dry add up to 1/2 cup additional stock. Taste and adjust seasoning. The stuffing should hold together when gently squeezed.

Stuff and truss the turkey

Loosely spoon the stuffing into the main cavity of the turkey; do not pack tightly (pack into the neck cavity only if you plan to cook the stuffing to a safe internal temperature — note that cooking times increase). If you have excess stuffing, bake it in a buttered casserole dish covered with foil at 350°F (175°C) for 30–40 minutes until heated through and top is slightly crisp. Tuck wing tips under, tie legs with kitchen twine and brush breast with remaining herb butter. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast avoiding bone and another into the thickest part of the thigh if available.

Roast the turkey

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan breast-side up. Roast until the breast reaches 160°F (71°C) and the thigh reaches 175°F (79°C). For a 12–14 lb turkey, estimate 3 to 3 1/2 hours; start checking temperatures at about 2 1/2 hours. Baste sparingly with pan juices every 30–40 minutes if desired to encourage browning.

Rest the turkey

When target temperatures are reached, remove turkey from oven and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 20–30 minutes before carving; internal temperatures will rise a few degrees during resting (to reach safe final temps of 165°F/74°C in the breast). Reserve pan drippings for gravy.

Make the gravy

Pour pan drippings through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup or fat separator; skim off excess fat if desired and reserve 4 tbs fat (or use butter). In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt reserved fat and whisk in 3 tbs flour to make a roux; cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in 1 cup dry white wine (optional) and 2 cups additional stock, scraping up browned bits. Simmer until gravy thickens, 6–8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If gravy is too thick, whisk in more stock to reach desired consistency.

Carve and serve

Transfer turkey to a cutting board. Remove stuffing from cavity to a warmed serving bowl. Carve turkey: slice breasts against the grain, remove legs and thighs and slice. Serve carved turkey with stuffing and warm gravy on the side, and any additional trimmings such as roasted vegetables or cranberry sauce as desired.