Stuffed Four Bird Roast Recipes

Steps:

• Put the porcini mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon so any grit stays at the bottom of the bowl; finely chop the mushrooms.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the cremini and porcini mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the water cooks off and the mushrooms start to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shallots, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper and cook until the shallots soften and the mushrooms turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and spread in a thin layer to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 more tablespoons of the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and softened, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Transfer the spinach to a colander set in a bowl to drain any excess moisture. Let cool to room temperature.
• While the spinach cools, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the brioche cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• With a sharp boning knife, cut the meat and fat away from the rib bones about 1 1/2 inches down from the top, scraping the bones as clean as you can. Trim any excess fat so there's no more than 1/4-inch covering the meat. (You can also ask your butcher to do this for you.)
• Put the roast on a large cutting board with the bones upright. Holding a large, sharp knife parallel to the bones and about 1 inch from the back of the bones, cut straight down until you are about 1 inch from the bottom of the roast. Gently pull the meat away from the bone so that the bones are upright and the meat is on the cutting board. Position the knife so it is parallel to the cutting board and, starting where you left off with your last cut, continue to cut into the meat about 1 inch up from the board, slowly unrolling the meat as you cut. You will have a long rectangular piece of meat attached to the bone that is about 1-inch thick.
• Once the meat is in an even layer, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread the mushroom mixture in an even layer on the meat. Top with the brioche and then layer on the spinach. Dot with the truffle butter if using. Starting at the boneless end, tightly roll the meat back up and secure tightly with butcher twine (tie it all the way around the roast between each rib). Sprinkle the outside with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
• Place bone-side down on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and transfer to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to roast until the meat registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer for medium-rare, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Steps:

• Place oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Lightly brush roasting rack with vegetable oil and place in roasting pan.
• Remove plastic or paper packet of giblets from turkey (usually in small cavity). Remove from packaging and rinse; reserve gizzard and heart; discard floppy, dark purple liver. Remove neck from large cavity. Remove from packaging, rinse, and reserve. Using tweezers or needlenose pliers, remove any feathers and quills still attached to skin (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others). Pull off and reserve any visible pale yellow knobs of fat from either side of tail (not found on all birds).
• Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Loosely fill small (neck) cavity with stuffing. Fold neck skin under body and fasten with metal skewer. Loosely fill large body cavity with stuffing. Transfer remaining stuffing to buttered dish and drizzle with 1/4 cup stock. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to rack in roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks loosely together with kitchen string. Rub turkey all over with softened butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Tightly cover breast area with foil, leaving wings, thighs, and drumsticks exposed.
• Transfer gizzard, heart, neck, and reserved turkey fat to roasting pan around rack. Pour 2 cups stock into pan.
• Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices (lift up foil to reach breast area) and continue roasting, basting every 45 minutes, 1 1/2 hours more (2 1/4 hours total). Baste again and, if pan juices have evaporated into glaze, add 1 cup stock to pan. Roast another 45 minutes (3 hours total). Remove foil from breast area, baste, and add stock if necessary, until instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 180°F, about 1 hour more (4 hours total).
• Insert instant-read thermometer into center of stuffing in body cavity. If thermometer does not read 165°F, transfer stuffing to microwave-safe baking dish and microwave on high until 165°F, about 3 minutes for 10 degrees. Cover and keep warm. Using turkey holders (or by inserting large metal serving spoon into body cavity), transfer turkey to large serving platter. Let stand 30 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, bake extra stuffing and make gravy: Raise oven temperature to 350°F. Remove giblets and neck from roasting pan and discard. Pour pan juices into measuring cup or gravy separator. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and reserve fat or, if using separator, carefully pour juices into measuring cup, reserving fat left in separator.
• Transfer foil-covered dish of extra stuffing to oven and bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add enough remaining stock to pan juices to total 4 cups. Measure turkey fat, adding melted butter if necessary to total 6 tablespoons. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners on moderate heat and add fat. Whisk in flour, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, then cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in pan juice-stock mixture and bring to a boil, whisking often. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and keep warm. (Gravy can be kept warm over very low heat, covered, up to 20 minutes. If it thickens, thin with additional stock before serving. If skin forms on top, whisk well to dissolve.)
• When extra stuffing has baked 10 minutes, remove foil and bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Pour gravy through fine-mesh sieve into large bowl, then transfer to gravy boat. Carve turkey and serve gravy and stuffing alongside.
• Test-Kitchen Tips:
• •To combat dryness, most frozen turkeys and some fresh are injected with a saline solution. This is not a good thing, though: Injected birds generally lack flavor and can have a mushy texture. For this reason, we recommend buying a fresh turkey and checking the label to be sure there aren't any additives. (Look for the words "all natural.") Don't be too concerned, though, with the many other terms that can be applied to turkeys, such as free-range, organic, or heritage. All can be excellent.
• •When buying a fresh bird, be sure to purchase it no more than two days before Thanksgiving. If you must get a frozen bird, defrost it in the refrigerator in a pan to catch drips, allowing a full 24 hours for each 5 pounds.
• •Warm, moist stuffing is an optimal environment for bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli to multiply, so it's important to follow safe procedures. Be sure to make the stuffing at the last minute so it can go into the bird warm. This helps it move above the "danger zone" (the optimal temperature range for bacteria growth) more quickly during roasting. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the middle of the stuffing to make sure it's 165°F, the temperature at which bacteria will be killed. If it's not 165°F, scoop it out of the cavity and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
• •More stuffing tips: Be sure not to overpack the cavities, as the stuffing will expand during cooking. Loosely fill the turkey, then spread the extra in a casserole dish (no more than 2 inches deep) and bake it after the turkey comes out (be sure to refrigerate it until then to impede bacteria growth). Drizzle the portion in the casserole dish with extra stock to make up for the juices it won't get from the turkey. If you want the stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey to be extra-moist (as opposed to having a crisp crust where it's exposed), cover the exposed portion with a small piece of aluminum foil.
• •Opinions vary on whether or not to stuff the bird-some people think it can cause uneven cooking. If you prefer not to stuff your bird, fill the cavities with a chopped vegetable and herb mixture that will impart its flavor to the meat and pan juices: Chop 1 onion, 1 celery rib with leaves, 1 carrot, and 3 tablespoons fresh parsley. Mix this with 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, sage, and thyme. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the mixture inside. An unstuffed bird will take about 15 minutes to a half hour less to cook than a stuffed bird. When the turkey is cooked, tilt it to allow any juices that have collected in the cavity to drain into the pan. Do not serve the vegetable mixture, as it may not have cooked to a safe temperature.
• •This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve more people. Estimate about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. Cooking times (for a stuffed bird, cooked at 325°F to an internal temperature of 180°F) will be as follows: 8 to 12 pounds: 3 to 3 1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds: 4 to 4 1/4 hours 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours 20 to 24 pounds: 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
• •Some experts prefer to cook their turkeys to an internal temperature of 170°F (rather than 180°F, as in this recipe). If you don't mind having the meat slightly pink, this is perfectly safe and makes it more moist. However, Rick Rodgers, who created this recipe, believes that the dark meat in particular does not achieve its optimum flavor and texture until it reaches 180°F. If you choose to stuff your turkey and cook it to only 170°F, its stuffing will almost definitely not reach the safe temperature of 165°F. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the center of the stuffing, and if necessary remove it and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
• •Letting the turkey stand for half an hour after it comes out of the oven is an essential part of the roasting process. When meat roasts, its juices move to the outer edge of the flesh. Letting it rest gives the juices time to redistribute, making for a moister turkey. An added bonus: The resting time provides an excellent window of opportunity to make the gravy and reheat the side dishes. There's no need to cover the bird-it'll stay warm enough, and covering it would only soften the crispy skin.

Steps:

• For the stuffing, soak the porcini in 300ml boiling water and set aside for 20 mins, then drain, reserving the liquid, and finely chop. Heat the butter and fry the shallots for 2 mins, then add the mushrooms and cook for 3 mins more. Leave to cool. Mix with all the other stuffing ingredients and set aside.
• Place the chicken, breast-side down, on the board. Use a sharp boning knife to cut through the skin on the backbone along the length of the bird. Slowly run your knife down against one side of the ribcage, working down the length of the chicken and keeping close to the bone. As you cut, use the other hand to gently pull away the skin and expose the flesh. Pop out the thigh and wing joints, and cut through where they are attached to the main carcass. Continue cutting down the side of the bird, keeping the knife as close to the carcass as possible, until you reach the ridge of the breast bone, then repeat with the other side.
• To remove the carcass completely, snap away the wishbone where it joins at the neck end and carefully cut beneath the breast bone - this is where the skin is at its thinnest, so carefully cut away, then lift and cut away the carcass, as you don't want to nip or pierce the skin.
• Open up the chicken, skin-side down, and scrape clean or cut away the thigh bones and any other stray bits of bone or cartilage like the wishbone. Remove the 2 smaller fillets that run along the breast and set aside. Finally, use a larger chopping knife to cut off the feet and wing tips, but don't discard them.
• Repeat with the pheasant, but cut the legs off completely so you are left with just the 2 breasts attached by the skin. Cut the legs in half and keep. You should now have the semi-boned chicken, the pheasant breasts, the skinned duck breast and the stuffing. If all that butchery doesn't appeal, your butcher - with a bit of warning - should be able to prepare all the birds to this stage for you.
• To assemble the roast, open up the chicken, skin-side down. Put a third of the stuffing between 2 pieces of cling film and use a rolling pin to roll it out flat so that it just covers the surface area, then place on top of the chicken. Lay the duck breast in the middle of the stuffing, cover with a layer of stuffing, then add the pheasant breasts, skin-side down. Add a final layer of stuffing and lay the 2 chicken mini fillets on top.
• Tuck in the top and bottom edges of the chicken, and pull the two long edges together. Tuck one edge of it over the other so everything is rolled together and neatly encased, then flip over. Using butcher's string, tie the chicken at regular intervals around the width, then tie it once around the length to hold the stuffing in. Finally, tie the legs together. Can be prepared to this stage and chilled up to 1 day ahead.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Scatter the shallots, thyme and carrot into a roasting tin with the pheasant legs and chicken wing tips. Place the roast on the vegetables and rub all over with the softened butter. Pour the wine over, then season generously. Put the tin in the oven and cook for 1 hr 40 mins until beautifully browned all over, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads 68C (or above) when inserted in the middle. Remove, loosely cover with foil, and leave to rest somewhere warm for 30 mins.
• While the roast is resting, make the gravy. Place the tin on a low flame if flameproof, or tip the contents into a saucepan if not. Scatter over the flour and cook until light brown. Gradually pour in the mushroom soaking liquid, then the chicken stock. Simmer everything together until you have a smooth, thickened gravy, adding any resting juices from the roast. Season to taste, then strain the gravy through a sieve into another saucepan. When the roast has rested, remove the string, carefully carve into thick slices and sprinkle with thyme.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse turkey, remove giblets and place in a shallow roasting pan.
• Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Mix in water.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and slowly cook and stir the celery and onion until tender.
• Mix celery, onion, and toasted bread pieces into the stuffing, and season with salt and pepper. Loosely scoop stuffing into the turkey body cavity and neck cavity. Rub the exterior of the turkey with vegetable oil.
• Loosely cover turkey with aluminum foil, and roast 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) and the interior of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove foil during the last half hour of cooking to brown the bird.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms, celery, and onions until softened.
• Dampen the fresh bread cubes (not the stuffing mix), then squeeze out any excess water.
• In a large bowl, combine the mushroom mixture, bread cubes, stuffing mix, eggs, and 1 can chicken broth. Season with sage, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and mix well. The stuffing should have a rather paste-like consistency. Mix in additional chicken broth as necessary.
• Loosely pack stuffing inside turkey cavity before roasting.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook 6 bacon strips over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. In drippings, saute onion, celery and carrot until crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in bread crumbs, parsley, garlic powder, pepper and bacon. Let stand until liquid is absorbed., Preheat oven to 325°. Cut a lengthwise slit down the center of roast to within 1/2 in. of bottom. Open roast so it lies flat; cover with plastic wrap. Flatten to 1-in. thickness. Remove plastic; spread stuffing over meat to within 1 in. of edges. Close roast and tie at 1-in. intervals with kitchen string., Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cut remaining bacon strips in half; arrange over top of roast. Bake, uncovered, 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until meat reached desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°). Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.