Dindonneau (Young Turkey)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sturdy 13 by 16-inch (33 by 41 cm) roasting pan
• •2-quart (2-liter) saucepan
• •Instant-read or probe thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Carving board with a juice channel
• •Heavy carving knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt and dry

   Remove the turkey from its wrapping and take the neck and giblets from the cavities. Reserve the neck, gizzard, and heart; keep the liver cold for another use. Pat the bird thoroughly dry, including inside the cavity, then season it all over and inside with the salt and pepper. Refrigerate it uncovered for 45 minutes while you make the fortified stock. A dry surface browns; a wet one steams.

   For an even crisper skin, salt the bird and refrigerate it uncovered for 12 to 24 hours. Do not rinse it before roasting.
2. 2

   Fortify the stock

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Brown the neck, gizzard, and heart until their surfaces take a deep golden colour, then add half the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until the vegetables begin to bronze. Pour in 2½ cups of the stock, add the bouquet garni, and hold at the barest simmer for 45 minutes. Strain, discard the solids, and keep the fortified stock warm. This is the honest home equivalent of the stockpot that never left the old stove.

3. 3

   Prepare the bird

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the lower third. Pat the turkey dry once more. Ease your fingers carefully beneath the breast skin and spread 3 tablespoons of softened butter directly over the meat, then rub the remaining 1 tablespoon softened butter over the skin. Fold the wing tips beneath the bird and tie the legs loosely together. Scatter the remaining onion, carrots, and celery in a sturdy roasting pan, set the turkey breast-side up on this aromatic bed, and pour ½ cup of the wine and the reserved ½ cup plain stock around it, never over the skin.

4. 4

   Roast and protect

   Roast at 425°F (220°C) for 25 minutes, until the skin begins to bronze, then lower the oven to 350°F (175°C). Continue roasting for 65 to 90 minutes, turning the pan once and spooning the pan juices over the legs, not the breast, until the thickest part of the breast reaches 160 to 162°F (71 to 72°C) and the inner thigh reaches 170 to 175°F (77 to 79°C). The breast will colour before the legs finish; once it is deep gold, cover only the breast loosely with foil. If the pan dries or the fond darkens toward mahogany, add a splash of fortified stock at once. Burnt fond cannot be disguised, so intervene while it is brown and useful.

   Insert the thermometer from the side into the deepest breast meat and the inner thigh without touching bone. Guessing by the colour of the juices is less reliable.
5. 5

   Rest without smothering

   Transfer the turkey to a warm carving board, tipping any juices from its cavity back into the roasting pan. Rest for 30 minutes with the breast loosely shielded by foil, never wrapped tightly or the crisp skin softens. Check that the breast reaches at least 165°F (74°C) during the rest. If it does not, return the bird to the 350°F (175°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes, then check again. The rest is part of the cooking, not an interval to be hurried.

6. 6

   Reduce the jus

   While the turkey rests, spoon excess fat from the roasting pan, leaving the browned juices behind. Set the pan over medium heat if it is stovetop-safe, or scrape everything into a saucepan. Add the remaining ½ cup wine and scrape up every brown trace of fond. Add the strained fortified stock and boil steadily until reduced to about 1¼ cups, glossy but still fluid enough to pour. Strain into a clean saucepan and taste for seasoning.

7. 7

   Montez au beurre

   Take the jus off the heat. Montez au beurre (finish with cold butter) by whisking in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, one small piece at a time, until the jus gleams and lightly coats a spoon. Do not boil it after the butter goes in. If the jus separates or looks greasy, stop adding butter and whisk in 1 tablespoon of cold stock until it comes together, then continue slowly. Ça se rattrape.

8. 8

   Choose and serve

   While the bird rests, warm exactly one finished preparation according to its own entry: Celery à l’Anglaise, à la Financière, à la Godard, or à la Jardinière. Keep that preparation whole and do not combine the four. Remove the legs, separate the thighs and drumsticks, then carve the breast across the grain into generous slices. Arrange the turkey on a warm platter with the chosen preparation, spoon over enough jus to give the meat a gloss, and pass the remainder at the table. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for the smallest whole young turkey available, ideally 6 to 7 pounds. This method is calibrated to a tender bird; a much larger turkey needs a longer roasting plan and more deliberate protection for its breast.
• •Good low-sodium boxed stock is the correct home answer to a permanent stockpot. Browning the turkey neck and simmering it in that stock gives the jus the body and flavour plain water cannot supply.
• •Choose Celery à l’Anglaise for the most restrained plate, à la Financière or à la Godard for a fuller grand-kitchen finish, and à la Jardinière when fine vegetables should carry the colour. Make one. Four garnishes on one turkey is committee work.
• •A full-bodied dry white wine suits the buttered jus and the tender breast, while a light red Burgundy can meet one of the richer garnishes without bullying the bird.
• •Refrigerate leftover turkey and jus separately within 2 hours. Keep them for up to 3 days, reheating the sliced meat gently under a little jus so the breast stays moist.

Advance Preparation

• •Salt the turkey and refrigerate it uncovered for 12 to 24 hours. The seasoning penetrates more evenly and the dry skin browns more readily.
• •The fortified stock can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, chilled promptly, and reheated while the oven comes to temperature.
• •Prepare the chosen Celery à l’Anglaise, à la Financière, à la Godard, or à la Jardinière according to its own entry and make it ahead only as that preparation allows. Warm it gently while the turkey rests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 630g)