Turkey galantine with chestnut, apple and sausage stuffin

12 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey, neck and giblets removed
6 cups To 8 c Chestnut, Apple and Sausage Stuffing, or stuffing of your choice
Turkey stock
1 cup Butter, melted, for basting
Chestnut Gravy or gravy of your choice
Formatted by Manny Rothstein

Directions

Wash turkey well, then pat dry. Locate wishbone in neck and remove it by scraping paring knife along bone to expose it and loosening meat around it with your thumb and forefinger.

Using poultry shears, cut along backbone on both sides from neck to tail. Remove backbone and save for stock.

Carefully remove rib cage one side at time, starting with each backbone edge, by scraping along ribs with paring knife, separating flesh from the carcass. When you arrive at ball joints of wings and thighs, cut through them to separate. Leave breastbone intact.

Lift carcass up and gently separate flesh from breastbone.

Lay turkey on work surface skin-side down and locate ball joint of one thigh bone. Scrape flesh away from bone with back of your knife, pushing it down until you reach knee joint. Cut away tendons joining knee joint and continue scraping meat away from bone with knife until you reach tip of leg. Repeat on other leg. Use cleaver to cut drumstick just before tip, leaving tip and skin intact.

(Turkey can be prepared to this point 1 day in advance, then wrapped and refrigerated. You can also ask your butcher to bone turkey for you. Ask butcher to leave tips of legs intact and to give you bones for stock.) Just before cooking, stuff turkey: Lay turkey skin-side down on work surface, opened like a book. Spoon stuffing loosely into legs and then spoon remainder down middle of turkey. Bring edges up to form into something like original shape. Before cooking, bird will look slightly under-stuffed. Stuffing will expand during cooking, and overstuffing could cause the skin to burst.

Use skewers or bamboo sticks to join edges of flesh where backbone had been. Secure both ends with skewers and tuck wings under. Truss turkey as you would a roast.

Place extra stuffing in covered casserole dish, drizzle with little stock and butter and roast for about 1½ hours with turkey.

Brush turkey all over with melted butter and set breast-side up on rack in roasting pan. Roast at 325 degrees, basting with butter or pan juices every 30 minutes. If turkey begins to brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil. Check for doneness by inserting thermometer into center of stuffing. Thermometer should register 175 degrees (155 degrees. Manny), about 15 minutes per pound. Allow turkey to cool slightly before carving so that stuffing firms.

While turkey is cooling, make gravy, then serve.

Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Each of 12 servings, with stuffing and gravy, contains about: 861 calories 1,455 mg sodium 289 mg cholesterol 52 grams fat 29 grams carbohydrates 63 grams protein 0.76 gram fiber.

From Julianne Ryan, Special to The Times, Copyright Los Angeles Times, November 16, 1995

Submitted By MANNY ROTHSTEIN On 11-25-95

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