Graham Kerr

82 Roast Turkey with Parsnip Stuffing

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Recipe to Produce

    8-10

    Portions

Appears in

The Graham Kerr Cookbook: By the Galloping Gourmet

The Graham Kerr Cookbook

By Graham Kerr

Published 1966

Recipe to produce 8-10 portions U.S.A. Imperial Metric
Turkey (frozen weight) (stripped weight 8 lb.) 10½ lb. 10½ lb. 15.25 kilos
Onion 1 large 10 oz. 285 grams
Parsnips 1 lb. 1 lb. .5 kilo
Clarified butter ¼ cup 2 oz 60 grams
Sausage meat 14 oz. 14 oz. 410 grams
Turkey liver 1 3½ oz. 100 grams
Garlic clove 1 1 1
Sesame seeds 1 level tsp. 1 level tsp. 7.5 grams
Apple 1 1 1
Lemon thyme leaves 2 tsp. 2 tsp. 6 grams
Parsley stalks 1 tbsp. 1 tbsp. 7.5 grams
Breadcrumbs ¾ cup 3 oz. 85 grams
Eggs 2 2 2
Salt and black peppercorns To season To season To season
Water 1¼ cups 10 fl. oz. 285 milliliters
Bay leaves 2 2 2
Parsley 1 stalk 1 stalk 1 stalk
Bacon slices 4 4 4

Method

Method of Preparation

Peel and finely slice onion and parsnips—melt butter in pan. Finely dice liver—crush garlic—peel and cube apple—chop thyme leaves and parsley stalks—roughly grind peppercorns—preheat oven 325 °F.

Method of Cookery

  1. Sauté onion and parsnips in butter over low heat for 15 minutes until soft. Remove.
  2. Fry together sausage meat, garlic, sesame seeds, and liver for 5 minutes. Stir all the time.
  3. Add to parsnips in mixing bowl. Crush together well with a potato masher. Beat to blend well; add apple, eggs, crumbs, parsley, and thyme.
  4. Season inside turkey with salt. Stuff neck area only. Tie as shown. Brush melted butter over flesh. Season with salt, ground peppercorns. Cover breast and top of thighs with fat bacon slices.
  5. Cook for 3 hours at 325°F.* Baste occasionally during cooking, remove bacon when shrunken and crisp.
  6. If too brown, recover with water-dampened brown paper.

*Most references suggest 4 hours for a turkey weighing “8 lb.—stripped, unstuffed.” Mine takes 3 hours.

Serving

Remove turkey 20 minutes before service and if you can get it into the warming oven—do so. Make gravy with liquid obtained by browning and simmering the giblets and neck in 1¼ cups water with 2 bay leaves. Serve with roast vegetables, Brussels sprouts.

For Roast Wild Duck: Cream and White Sauce.

© 1966 Graham Kerr. All rights reserved.