Wild Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 5 1/2-pound wild turkey
• 12 ounces plain, unflavored yogurt
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 whole garlic cloves, crushed
• 8 ounces peach jam
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 grindings white pepper

Stuffing:

• 1 cup wild rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 ½ cups orange juice
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter (not melted), plus 1 stick butter melted
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed, dried rosemary
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 ½ teaspoons white pepper
• 1 16-ounce can of chestnuts, drained of liquid and coarsely chopped
• 2 eggs beaten

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

    1414 calories; 63 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 93 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 28 grams sugars; 113 grams protein; 473 milligrams cholesterol; 2139 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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6 servings

Preparation

1. Wipe turkey inside and out and salt and pepper the cavity. In bowl large enough to hold turkey and marinade, prepare the marinade by combining yogurt, ginger, garlic and peach jam. Place turkey in the marinade, spooning marinade over turkey and into cavity. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, turn turkey in bowl, spooning marinade over exposed side.
2. Meanwhile, prepare stuffing by cooking wild rice in a combination of the water, orange juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer 50 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice sit for 1 hour. It will swell to four times its size.
3. In 2 tablespoons butter, saute onion and celery until onion becomes translucent. Add ground pork, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, remaining salt and white pepper, and cook until pork is lightly browned. Add chopped chestnuts, beaten eggs and 2 1/2 cups of the cooked wild rice. Mix thoroughly.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff turkey, truss it and sew up the cavity. Place it on a rack in a pan. Cover the breast with cheesecloth.
5. Cook for a total of 2 hours. For the first 1 1/2 hours, baste turkey with the melted butter every 15 minutes, letting the butter drip through the cheesecloth. For the last half hour, remove the cheesecloth and baste every 15 minutes.