Simple Wild Rice Stuffed Turkey
Submitted by goodies
Whole roasted turkey stuffed with wild rice, brandy-soaked apricots, and rosemary, basted in garlic-herb butter. A stunning holiday centerpiece that feeds 10.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
1 hrsCOOK
6 hrsREADY
7 hrsForget bread stuffing. This turkey takes the elegant route with a nutty wild rice filling studded with brandy-soaked apricots that’ll have your holiday guests talking until next year.
The wild rice simmers until tender, then gets tossed with dried apricots that have been plumping in brandy, along with sauteed onion, celery, garlic, and rosemary.
Stuffed into a 14-pound bird and roasted low and slow, the turkey gets basted every 30 minutes with rosemary-garlic butter that turns the skin deeply golden and fragrant.
The result is a showstopper with a stuffing that’s earthy, fruity, and boozy all at once.
Pro Tips
- Cook the wild rice until just tender, not mushy. It continues to absorb moisture inside the turkey, so slightly underdone rice comes out with the right chewy texture.
- Soak the apricots for the full 15 minutes in brandy. They should be plump and soft, and the leftover brandy goes right into the stuffing for extra flavor.
- Baste faithfully every 30 minutes. It’s tedious, but that rosemary-garlic butter is what creates the crackling, herb-scented skin everyone fights over.
- Always check two temperatures: 180 to 185 in the thigh and 165 in the center of the stuffing. The stuffing temp is the one most people forget, and it’s critical for food safety.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove neck, giblets, and liver from body cavity of the turkey.
Put the wild rice into a colander and rinse. Transfer to a 4 quart kettle and cover with 2½ quarts cold water; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes, until tender.
Drain well.
Soak the apricots in the brandy for 15 minutes.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch skillet. Add the onion, celery, 1 clove garlic and 1 teaspoon rosemary; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
In a large 3 quart mixing bowl, combine the rice with the apricots; season with salt and pepper.
To prepare the basting butter: Melt 3 tablespoons butter; add 1 clove of garlic and remaining rosemary.
Fill the turkey cavity with the wild rice stuffing and truss. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast the turkey in a preheated 325-degree oven 4 to 5 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 180 to 185 degrees, and the thermometer in the center of the stuffing reads 165 degrees.
Baste with seasoned butter every 30 minutes.
- To serve: Remove the trussing and stuffing before slicing.
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