Roast Turkey With Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing
Ingredients:
- Turkey, about 21 pounds
- 2 Oranges, cut in half
- 1 ts Dried thyme
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 Sticks of butter, room temp
Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing:
- 1 c Diced dried apricots
- 1 1/2 c Grand Marnier
- 1 Turkey liver and
heart
- 2 Sticks unsalted butter
- 2 c Coarsely chopped celery
- 1 Lg yellow
onion, chopped
- 1 lb Bulk pork sausage
- 1 lb Herb stuffing mix
- 1 c Slivered
almonds
- 2 c Chicken stock
- 1/2 ts Dried thyme
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to
taste
Directions:
For Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing:
- Place the apricots and 1 cup of the Grand Marnier in a small
saucepan. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Simmer the turkey liver and heart in water to cover in a small
saucepan for 5 minutes; set aside to cool.
- Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add
the celery and onion and sauté for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large
mixing bowl.
- Cook the pork sausage in the same skillet, crumbling with a fork,
until it is no longer pink. Remove from the heat and add to the celery
mixture. Add the stuffing mix, apricots with liquid, and almonds. Finely
dice the turkey livers and heart and add to the stuffing mixture. Stir
to combine.
- Heat the remaining 1/2 cup of butter and the stock in a small
saucepan just until the butter melts. Pour over the stuffing mixture and
add the remaining 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier. Stir well to moisten the
stuffing. Season with the thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
For Turkey:
- Make the stuffing.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry. Squeeze the juice of the
oranges all over the turkey and in the neck and body cavities. Spoon the
stuffing loosely into the cavities. Set aside any extra stuffing.
- Sew up
the cavities or close with small trussing skewers. Place the
turkey on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle all over with
thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the butter all over the
turkey.
- Turn breast-side up in the pan and cover the pan with aluminum
foil. Place the turkey in the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees F.
Roast for 3 hours.
- Remove the foil and roast, basting
occasionally, until the juices run clear when the meaty part of a thigh
is pierced with a sharp skewer., about 2 more hours.
- Bake the leftover
stuffing in a baking dish at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- Let the
turkey stand, covered with foil, for 15 minutes before carving.
Turkey Recipes