Italian Roast Turkey with Pomegranate Sauce
Share this recipe with your friends!
Makes about 18 servings
Make-Ahead: Roast the turkey just before serving.
The pomegranates make a fine glaze for the bird, and give a sweet-tart edge to
the sauce.
3 medium pomegranates
One (18-pound) fresh turkey
12 cups Roasted Vegetable Stuffing (recipe follows)
2 1/2 quarts Homemade Turkey Broth, as needed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more if
needed
Salt
Freshly milled black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup broth or water
4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
- Using a sharp knife, score each pomegranate into quarters through the
blossom end, cutting only about 1/4-inch deep. One at a time, submerge each
pomegranate into a large bowl of cold water. Pull the pomegranate apart under
the water. Loosen the seeds from the pith with your fingers. The seeds will
sink to the bottom, and the pith will float to the top. Skim off the pith,
discard the skin, and drain the seeds. Place the seeds in a fine-meshed wire
strainer set over a bowl and cover the seeds with plastic wrap to block squirts
of juice. Crush the seeds with a large spoon to extract the juice. Set the
juice aside.
- Position a rack in the lowest position of the oven and preheat to
325° F. Reserve the turkey neck and giblets to use in gravy or stock.
Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat the turkey skin dry. Turn
the turkey on its breast. Loosely fill the neck cavity with stuffing. Using a
thin wooden or metal skewer, pin the turkey's neck skin to the back. Fold
the turkey's wings akimbo behind the back or tie to the body with kitchen
string. Loosely fill the large body cavity with stuffing. Place any remaining
stuffing in a lightly buttered casserole, cover and refrigerate to bake as a side
dish. Place the drumsticks in the hock lock or tie together with kitchen
string.
- Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Rub all
over with the softened butter. Season with the salt and pepper. Tightly cover
the breast area with aluminum foil. Pour 2 cups of turkey stock into the bottom
of the pan.
- Roast the turkey, basting all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the
bottom of the pan (lift up the foil to reach the breast area), until a meat
thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh (but not touching a bone)
reads 180° F degrees and the stuffing is at least 160° F, about 4 1/4
hours. (See Estimated Roasting Times, below.) Whenever the drippings evaporate,
add broth to moisten them (about 1 1/2 cups at a time). During the last hour of
estimate roasting time, remove the foil. Pour the pomegranate juice over the
turkey. Baste every fifteen minutes until the turkey is done.
- Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter and let it stand for at
least 20 minutes before carving. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Drizzle 1/2 cup of turkey broth over the stuffing in the casserole, cover, and
bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a heatproof glass
bowl or measuring cup. Let stand 5 minutes; then skim off and discard the clear
yellow fat that rises to the top. Add enough turkey broth to the skimmed
drippings to make 6 cups total.
- Place the roasting pan over two stove burners on low heat and add the
turkey broth mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced to 4
cups, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the dissolved cornstarch and cook until
the sauce has lightly thickened. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the butter,
one piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the sauce to a warmed gravy boat. Carve the turkey and serve the
sauce alongside.
|
Estimated Roasting
Times
(Oven Temperature 325° F)
Add an extra 30 minutes to the roasting time to
allow for variations in roasting conditions. It’s better to have
a bird done ahead of time than to keep everyone waiting and hungry
for the bird to finish roasting.
|
|
Unstuffed Turkey |
8 to 12 pounds
12 to 14 pounds
14 to 18 pounds
18 to 20 pounds
20 to 24 pounds
|
2-3/4 to 3 hours
3 to 3-3/4 hours
3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours
4-1/4 to 4-1/2 hours
4-1/2 to 5 hours
|
|
Stuffed Turkey
|
8 to 12 pounds
12 to 14 pounds
14 to 18 pounds
18 to 20 pounds
20 to 24 pounds
|
3 to 3-1/2 hours
3-1/2 to 4 hours
4 to 4-1/4 hours
4-1/4 to 4-3/4 hours
4-3/4 to 5-1/4 hours
|
|
