TURKEY
A bird with excellent, lean meat, but which is more often than not filled with a rich stuffing and allowed to cook dry in the oven.
Keep in mind
On an entire bird, the various parts tends to get ready at different times, not least if it contains a kilo of cold stuffing. Cooking a turkey drumstick from a big bird – as if it were aleg of lamb – could be a better choice, as it produces a more even and better result in the oven.
How to cook turkey
If you stuff an entire turkey and cook it in the oven it will, inevitably, be a dry affair when cooked through. The trick is NOT to fill the entire cavity with stuffing, allowing heat from the oven to cook the bird from the inside.
The meat on the turkey breast starts turning dry at 65°C/150°F, the legs can take a lot more, up to 80°C/175°F.
The classic
Whole roast turkey with a stuffing (with moderation, see above) made of apple, bread and spices. The liver from the bird itself can be ground and used for more flavor and umami.
