Roast Turkey With Corn Bread And Kale Stuffing And Paprika

Directions

1. Make the stuffing:In a large skillet cook the onions and the celery with salt and pepper to taste in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, till the vegetables are softened. Add in the kale in batches, stirring till each batch is wilted, and cook the mix till the kale is bright green. In a bowl combine the mix with the corn bread, stir in the sage and salt and pepper to taste, and toss the stuffing gently till it is combined well.
2. Let the stuffing cold. The stuffing may be made 1 day in advance and kept
3. covered and chilled. (To prevent bacterial growth, don't stuff the turkey in advance.)
4. Rinse the turkey inside and out, pat it dry, and season it with salt and pepper. Pack the neck cavity loosely with some of the stuffing, fold the neck skin under the body, and fasten it with a skewer. Pack the body cavity loosely with some of the remaining stuffing and tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string. Transfer the remaining stuffing to a buttered baking dish and reserve it, covered and chilled. Spread the turkey with 1/2 stick of the butter, season it with salt and pepper, and roast it on a rack in a flameproof roasting pan in a preheated 425F. oven
5. for 30 min. In a saucepan heat the remaining 1 stick butter and let it cold. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F., baste the turkey with the pan juices, and drape it with a piece of cheesecloth, soaked in the melted
6. butter. Roast the turkey, lifting the cheesecloth and basting the turkey every 20 min, for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs more, or possibly till a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of a thigh registers 180F. and the juices run
7. clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer. During the last hour of roasting bake the reserved stuffing, drizzled with the stock and 1/2 c. of the pan juices and covered loosely. Throw away the cheesecloth and the trussing string, transfer the turkey to a heated platter, reserving the juices in the roasting pan, and let it stand, covered loosely with foil, for 25 min.
8. Make the gravy:Skim all but 1/3 c. of the fat from the roasting pan, add in the flour to the pan, and cook the roux over moderate heat, whisking, for 3 min.
9. Add in the paprika and cook the mix for 30 seconds. Add in the stock in a stream, whisking, bring the mix to a boil, whisking, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the gravy, stirring occasionally, for 10 min and transfer it to a heated sauceboat.
10. Garnish the turkey with the kale leaves and the paprika leaves.
11. Serves 8 with leftovers.