Truffled Young Turkey

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sturdy 14 by 11-inch (36 by 28 cm) metal roasting pan with rack
• •Small food processor or heavy mortar
• •Large trussing needle and unwaxed cotton kitchen twine, or 3 metal skewers
• •Large sheet of baking parchment
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh strainer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the turkey

   Set an oven rack in the lower third and heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Remove the neck and gizzard from the turkey and reserve them for the roasting pan; save the liver for another use, since it can make the jus bitter. Trim any loose lumps of cavity fat, pat the bird thoroughly dry, and leave it out for no more than 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

2. 2

   Pound the fat

   Pulse the cold fatback in a small processor with 1 teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the white pepper until it becomes a fine, cohesive paste, stopping often so it stays cold. A mortar did this work in the brigade kitchen; the processor is its honest home equivalent. Fold in the chopped truffles without crushing them. If the fat turns shiny and begins releasing oil, stop and chill it for 10 minutes before continuing. Ça se rattrape. The fat must be soft enough to carry the truffle perfume, not warm enough to melt.

   Fatback, not smoked bacon. Smoke overwhelms the truffle, while fresh fatback carries its perfume quietly through the bird.
3. 3

   Fill and sew

   Season the turkey inside and out with the remaining salt and white pepper. Spoon the truffle and fatback mixture into the cavity, filling it generously but never compacting it into a hard mass. Pull the tail flap over the opening and sew the skin closed with a large trussing needle and unwaxed cotton twine, taking stitches about ½ inch (1 cm) apart. If the skin tears, ça se rattrape: bridge the opening with two or three metal skewers and lace the twine around them. Fold the wing tips underneath and tie the legs together without squeezing the bird out of shape.

4. 4

   Wrap in paper

   Set the reserved neck and gizzard beneath a rack in a sturdy metal roasting pan, then pour 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the stock around them. Rub the turkey with 1 tablespoon of the softened butter. Coat a sheet of baking parchment generously with the remaining 3 tablespoons of softened butter, lay the buttered face against the breast and sides, and tie it in place with kitchen twine. Cover the bird well but leave the bottom open to the heat of the pan.

5. 5

   Roast under cover

   Roast the papered turkey for 1 hour 45 minutes, turning the pan once for even cooking. Check the pan after the first hour; it should hold a shallow layer of golden juices and a brown fond, not a dry black crust. If it is drying, add a little of the remaining stock. If the fond begins to scorch, add ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) stock immediately and move the pan one rack higher. The steady fire perfumes and tenderizes the bird. The final high heat is only for colour.

6. 6

   Strip the paper

   Remove the pan, cut away the parchment, and raise the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spoon a little clear pan fat over the skin, then return the turkey uncovered for 30 to 50 minutes, turning the pan once, until the breast is deeply golden and the thigh juices run clear. Check with a thermometer in three places: the thickest breast should reach at least 160°F (71°C) and rise as it rests, the inner thigh should reach 170°F (77°C), and the centre of the truffle mixture must reach 165°F (74°C). If the skin colours before the centre is ready, cover only the dark areas with clean parchment, lower the oven to 350°F (180°C), and continue cooking.

7. 7

   Rest the bird

   Transfer the turkey to a warm platter and rest it for 25 to 30 minutes, loosely covered with a clean sheet of parchment. Do not seal it tightly or the burnished skin will soften. Resting is part of roasting, not empty time: the juices settle through the meat while the truffle filling finishes distributing its perfume.

8. 8

   Reduce the jus

   Make the jus de rôti (roasting jus) while the turkey rests. Remove the neck and gizzard, pour the pan liquid into a heatproof jug, and let the fat rise before spooning most of it away. Set the metal roasting pan over medium heat, add the remaining stock and the defatted juices, and scrape up every brown trace of fond. Simmer until reduced to about 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g), then strain. Off the heat, monter au beurre by whisking in the reserved tablespoon of cold butter until the jus gleams. If it looks greasy, put a teaspoon of cold stock in a clean saucepan and whisk in the split jus a little at a time. Ça se rattrape.

9. 9

   Carve and serve

   Cut and remove every stitch before opening the cavity. Tip the bird slightly over a warm bowl and spoon out the truffles, leaving behind any pool of rendered fat. Carve the breast in broad slices, separate the legs at their joints, and arrange everything generously on the platter. Scatter the hot truffle pieces over the meat and spoon on just enough glossy jus to moisten it, passing the rest at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh black winter truffles give this dish its full depth and Christmas is their natural season. If they are unavailable, use the same drained weight of whole preserved black truffles from a reputable producer. Truffle oil cannot replace the body, texture, or quiet perfume of the real ingredient.
• •Ask the butcher for fresh unsmoked pork back fat. Salt pork and bacon change the seasoning, while smoked bacon crushes the truffle under a flavour the source never asked for.
• •Choose the smallest whole turkey you can find within the stated range. A much larger bird is not a casual substitution because it needs proportionally more truffle and fat, exactly the distinction the source makes between pullet and turkey.
• •Use the thermometer as the final authority. Young turkey can be tender, but the truffle filling still has to reach a safe temperature; parchment protects the breast while the centre catches up.
• •The buttered paper is not decorative wrapping. It shields the skin through the long fire, then comes away so the hotter oven can bronze the bird. Strip it late, not early.
• •Serve with plain potatoes or a restrained celery-root purée that will catch the jus without competing with the truffle. A mature red Burgundy has enough earth and freshness for both turkey and sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •The truffle and pounded-fat mixture may be prepared up to one day ahead and chilled in a tightly covered container. Let it soften only until pliable before filling the bird.
• •For food safety, do not leave the turkey stuffed overnight in a home refrigerator. Fill, sew, and paper it immediately before roasting.
• •The truffles can be brushed clean and the roasting equipment assembled earlier in the day. Keep the cleaned truffles covered and cold so their perfume stays in the dish rather than escaping into the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 510g)