Salt-cured turkey with focaccia stuffing
To get succulent turkey meat and incredibly flavorful skin without brining you can use an easy dry cure -- the same technique used to make duck legs into confit. Just rub the skin all over with a mixture of one-half cup of kosher salt, one-quarter cup of sugar, a tablespoon of dried thyme and half a teaspoon each of cayenne and allspice, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, rinse it off and place it in the oven and the bird will cook up moist and tasting of more than just turkey.
From the story: Procrastinators, rejoice
Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and either discard or reserve for another use. Rinse the turkey well, inside and out, and pat dry.
At least 12 hours before cooking, combine the salt, sugar, thyme, allspice and cayenne and mix well. Rub the mixture all over the skin of the turkey. Place the turkey in a shallow dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. If the turkey has been salt-cured, rinse it and wipe dry. Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Fill the body and neck cavities loosely with focaccia stuffing (bake any leftover stuffing separately). Rub the turkey all over with the olive oil and season it with black pepper.
Roast 15 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 350 degrees. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh or breast registers 165 degrees, or until juices run clear, about 2 1/2 hours. Baste if you like, but it’s not necessary. If the breast skin starts to darken too much or the stuffing starts to burn, cover loosely with foil.
Place the turkey pan on a trivet. Scoop out the stuffing and transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl and keep warm. Loosely cover the turkey with foil and let it stand 30 minutes before carving.
Focaccia stuffing
Combine the bread cubes, sausage, celery, onion, sage, butter and salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
Stuff the turkey as directed. Bake any remaining stuffing in an uncovered glass baking dish in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
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