Turkey with sage stuffing

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 turkey, young, ready to cook (3.5 to 4 kg)
• Salt
• 750 g onion(s), medium-sized
• 500 g white bread, fresh
• 10 sage leaves
• 125 g butter, soft
• nutmeg
• white pepper, freshly ground
• 2 m.-large carrot(s)
• 200 g celeriac
• 125 g clarified butter
• 5 apples (Cox Orange)
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 250 ml chicken stock or defatted broth
• 40 ml Calvados

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 5 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 45 minutes

Separate the turkey’s wings at the joint, cut off the neck, and slightly open the neck skin. Wash and dry the turkey, then rub the inside with salt. Pull the neck skin over the opening and secure it with toothpicks. For the stuffing, place eight onions on a baking tray in the preheated oven and cook at 200°C (top/bottom heat) for 45 to 50 minutes. Let the onions cool slightly, then generously trim off the root ends. Press the onions out of their skins and roughly chop them. Remove the crust from the white bread, roughly dice it, and grind it into crumbs in a blender. Chop the sage leaves. Knead the white breadcrumbs with the butter, onions, and sage, then season generously with salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Push the stuffing into the turkey and sew it up. Rub the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Peel and roughly chop the remaining onions. Trim, wash, and roughly chop the carrots and celery. Roughly chop the neck, wings, and turkey giblets (except for the liver). Preheat the oven to 275°C (top/bottom heat). Add clarified butter to the roasting pan and heat in the oven. Place the turkey breast-side up on the roasting pan and roast on the lowest oven rack for 10 minutes, brushing with the hot fat. Reduce the oven to 225°C (425°F), turn the turkey over, and roast breast-side down for 20 to 25 minutes. Add the giblets and roast with the rest. Turn the turkey over again, add the chopped vegetables, and reduce the oven to 200°C (400°F). After half an hour, roughly chop 3 apples and mix in, then continue roasting for a further 45 to 60 minutes. During this time, add the white wine and stock or broth, basting the turkey. Carve the turkey, cover with foil, and keep warm. Strain the stock through a sieve and remove any excess fat. Peel the two apples and dice them into small cubes, then cook them in the sauce. Season the sauce with Calvados. Slice the turkey and arrange it on a platter. Serve with the sauce.