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Amanda Ray (@chefaray) and I worked together at Auberge du Pommier way back in 2005, under Chef Jason Bangerter. We had a great team back then, with many of the cooks and sous chefs we worked with going on to fantastic careers. Amanda was the type of cook you immediately had respect for. She was fast, detailed, and a very good cook. Her enviable work ethic has led her to rise through the ranks of the Oliver Bonacini company to her current position as Chef de Cuisine of Le Mount Stephan Events and Hotel. (https://www.lemountstephen.com/). I am so proud to call her a good friend. Peter Sanagan Yogurt and Harissa Marinated Chicken Amanda Ray During this time, I, like so many others, have been cooking in my kitchen more than ever before…such a rarity for most chefs. I see so many friends on social media (chefs and non) cooking, enjoying (...well not always) and finding pleasure making a meal, taking the time to slow down. Food is so many things but often we cook our feelings, going to comfort foods in times of stress or anxiety. I know I went through my repertoire of my family comfort food favs. Then I moved on to travelling to other countries to feature cuisines from places I’d either been to or ones that are on my list of places to go next. That’s the only travelling I’ll be doing for some time, I think. The dish I wanted to make was a harissa & yogurt marinated chicken. I love harissa, it’s a hot chili paste that is commonly found in North African cooking, mainly Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian cuisines. You can purchase it in Middle Eastern stores generally. Sanagan’s sells the locally made El Tounsi brand https://www.eltounsifoods.com/ , or you can make your own version. I also love using yogurt as a marinade, the lactic acid in fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and buttermilk, react with the proteins at the molecular level. It also creates a great texture and flavourful crust; the dairy caramelizes beautifully. I don’t have a BBQ but there is something incredible about grilling meats that have been marinated with yogurt, it’s that combination of caramelized yogurt and that smoky flavour. Next up, I just need to buy a BBQ & life will be complete! For Harissa (if making it yourself) Makes approximately 1 cup Ingredients: 2 tsp coriander seeds (or 1¼ tsp of ground coriander) 1 tsp cumin seeds (or 1¼ tsp of ground cumin) 1 tsp caraway seeds (or 1¼ tsp of ground caraway) 2 tbsp paprika 1 tsp red chili flakes 3 cloves garlic, peeled 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded To taste sea salt 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to coat the top of the harissa Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and caraway seeds. Spread the spices on a sheet tray and toast in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes; you should faintly detect the scent of the spices. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool. Add the paprika and chili flakes to the spice mix.
3. Using a mortar and pestle (or, alternatively, a food processor), grind the garlic cloves until they become a paste, and then add the red bell pepper. Season with salt, and then add the spices and the 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and blend well. When blended, transfer the harissa to a container and top with some additional olive oil. This will keep for 3 to 6 weeks, covered, in the refrigerator.

Marinated Chicken Serves 4 Ingredients: 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt (or labneh*) One knob fresh ginger (1 to 2-inch), peeled and grated 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp red chili flakes ¼ tsp espelette pepper (optional) to taste Kosher salt 1 whole chicken, 3.5-4 lbs, cut in half (ask your butcher to help you with this) 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 lemon, halved 2 tsp harissa (see recipe above or use store bought.) to garnish washed and picked leaves of mint, coriander, or sliced green onion Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, ginger, ground cumin, chili flakes, espelette pepper, harissa, olive oil and salt. Whisk until smooth and pour into a baking dish.
2. Lay the chicken halves, skin-side up, in the yogurt mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours to marinate. (You can make the marinade the day before and marinate overnight).

If cooking in the oven:

3. Pre-heat oven to 400°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean-up. Place marinated chicken skin-side up, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Turn temperature down to 375°F.
4. Roast the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers between 155°F and 160°F, 35 - 40 minutes.

This January 25, the gang at ASI Archeology will hold their 32nd annual Robert Burns Day office party and Sanagan’s is proud to be their Official Purveyor of the Haggis. Or is it Offal-icial Purveyor?

Our house-made haggis features offal from our Ontario lamb combined with oatmeal, onion, lard and seasoning in an all-natural beef bung. We are honoured to supply it to ASI and to you for your Robbie Burns celebrations.

Martin Cooper is the Senior Archeologist at ASI and the driving force, all these years, behind the party. One assumes he’s steeped in Scottish ancestry and goes around saying things like “ach” while playing golf in the rain.

“I’m actually Jewish. I have no Scottish blood at all”, he explains, with a laugh, from across the boardroom table at ASI’s office on Bathurst Street. “But when I was growing up, my backyard in North York faced onto the backyard of the Colonel of the 48th Highlanders and every summer he’d have the whole pipe band in the backyard”. Who could resist such an onslaught of Scottishness? While majoring in archeology at U of T Martin, a.k.a. Rabbi Burns, minored in Romantic Revivalist poetry, reading lots of the Ploughman Poet. So once he established the original ASI office above his father’s dental practice in the ancestral Kensington/Annex neighbourhood, it went without saying that they’d whoop it up Scottish style every Burn’s Day. “Even then we’d pipe in the haggis. The piper would have to tune up in the patients waiting room”.

Whatever your Burn’s Day party origin story may be, we can help with the haggis. Just call 416-534-9747 and place your order.

Sittin’ in the backyard, tunes playin’, drinkin’ beer, eatin’ fried chicken. Oh man, can’t you just feel the sunshine and the grass between your toes? That’s what we need RIGHT NOW. We need that taste of summer. We need that culinary thaw. We need that greasy getaway. We need fried chicken!

Admittedly, with all the oil and frying smell and everything, fried chicken isn’t the easiest meal to produce but here’s the thing — while sitting around with a group of friends the other night, I mentioned that I was going to be frying chicken and simultaneously three people exclaimed, “did you say fried chicken?” So it’s worth the hassle.

And really it’s not that big a deal. Here’s my tips for relatively spontaneous, delicious fried chicken.

• Brining the chicken or soaking in buttermilk is great but completely unnecessary if you are using fresh, young chicken like Sanagan’s fryers.

• Whole wings, thighs, drums and breasts, cut in two across their length, (this equals 10 pieces out of one chicken) will all cook in about the same time.

• A wok will contain splattering better than a frying pan. A frying pan, however, will accommodate more pieces at once.

• It’s better to fry in batches than crowd the pan.

• Canola or peanut oil will work fine and minimize odors to but don’t underestimate the extra delectability of pure unprocessed lard like we make here at Sanagan’s

• An instant read thermometer will help prevent burning or undercooking your chicken.

• Observe all common sense safety considerations when working with hot oil or fat, i.e. shorts and bare feet may not be the best idea.

FRIED CHICKEN

1. Cut a fryer chicken into 10 pieces (see above) or use precut chicken pieces. DO NOT dry pieces with paper towel. Leave them moist.

2. Mix 1 cup flour, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a paper or plastic bag. For more flavour you can also season the chicken pieces directly, prior to coating them in flour.

3. A couple at a time, toss chicken pieces in the bag to coat. Shake excess flour from chicken and place on rack to “set” the coating. This rest can be anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes before frying. If, after the set, the flour has been absorbed and is no longer visible as a coating, feel free to do another toss and shake before frying.

4. Slip chicken skin side down into 350°F oil or fat. Cover and fry for ten minutes. Try to maintain a constant oil temperature of 300°F - 325°F. Check occasionally to ensure bottom side of chicken isn’t browning too much.

5. Uncover, turn chicken delicately with tongs, and cook uncovered for 8 to 10 more minutes or until breasts reach an internal temperature of 160°F and thighs 170°F - 175°F

6. Don swimsuit and commence to eatin’.

Braised lamb shanks are excellent comfort foods. After slowly cooking for hours in an aromatic liquid, the meat falls from the bone in luscious strips. Sumac, a tart and lemony spice ground from the fruit of the sumac shrub, is a great foil to the rich lamb meat. You can find it in larger grocery stores with a good selection of Middle Eastern ingredients. Serve this dish with cous-cous, rice, or roasted root vegetables. Serves four Ingredients 4 lamb shanks, approximately ¾lb to 1lb each to taste salt and pepper 3 tbsp sumac, divided 2 large eggplants, cut in half lengthwise 1 red pepper 4 tbsp olive oil, divided 1 sweet onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 carrots, diced 1 celery rib, diced 1 herb bundle (2 bay leaves, 4 thyme branches, 6 parsley branches) 1 lemon skin, peeled into strips 1 orange skin, peeled into strips 1 small (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes 1 cup chicken stock 2 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped 1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped Method 1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. 2. Lightly salt the meat side of the halved eggplants, and allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature. This step will help draw out any bitterness in the eggplant. 3. Season the lamb shanks with salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp of the sumac. Rub them with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Set the shanks on a rack in a roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, or until browned all over. Remove the browned shanks and set aside. (This step allows you to brown the meat without having to tend to them in your braising pot). 4. Rub the pepper with 1 tbsp olive oil, and wrap in tin foil. Pat the eggplant dry and rub with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Wrap the eggplant in tin foil as well. Place the pepper and eggplant in the oven (with the shanks), and roast, turning the vegetable packets once, for 30 minutes or until fully cooked (the vegatables should be roasted and softened). Remove the vegetables from the oven and cool. Turn the oven down to 325°F. 5. In a large covered Dutch oven (or heavy bottomed pot) over a medium heat, sweat the onions in 1 tbsp of olive oil. When slightly translucent (about 5 minutes), add the garlic, stir, and cover. Sweat for an additional 3 minutes before adding the carrot, celery, herb bundle, and lemon and orange peels. Stir well, cover, and cook for ten minutes, or until the carrots are soft. 6. Meanwhile, peel the roasted pepper and the eggplant; discard the seeds and skin. Chop roughly, and add to the pot. Add the canned tomatoes (with juice) and the chicken stock. Nestle the lamb shanks into the liquid, ensuring they are at least 80% submerged, and bring to a simmer. Place in the oven and braise for 2 hours, or until the meat is falling from the bone. 7. Arrange the lamb shanks on a deep platter, and spoon the vegetables and cooking juices around them. Scatter the mint and parsley leaves all over, then sprinkle the lamb with 1 tbsp of the sumac. Serve immediately.

The term “prime” rib traditionally refers to a seven-bone roast cut from the 12th bone to the 6th bone of the rib section of beef. A whole seven bone roast weighs around 8 kg (18 lbs) – enough beef for at least twenty-five people. You can order a roast by the pound, though, considering each bone accounts for about two and a quarter pounds of weight. Account for 1 kg (2.2 lbs) feeding three people. Pro Tip: Ask for the Shoulder End, also known as the second cut. This end of the rib is close to the shoulder. There is more fat in this end, as well as the rib cap muscle, which is one of the most flavorful muscles on a steer. The loin end, or “first cut”, is also delicious, and leaner, but lacks that cap muscle. Ask your butcher to remove the rib bones and give you enough twine to tie them back on after you’ve applied the rub. If they won’t give you twine, offer to buy some then never go back to that jerk. serves 8-10 Ingredients For the roast: 7-8 lbs prime rib, 3 bones For 1 cup of seasoning salt: ½ cup kosher salt ¼ cup freshly ground black pepper 1 bunch fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped 1 bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped 1 bunch fresh sage, leaves picked and chopped 10 pc fresh bay leaves, leaves sliced 8 pc garlic cloves, peeled For the sauce: 3 tbsp beef scraps (ask your butcher for this, otherwise use ground beef) 3 pc shallots, peeled and chopped 1 pc garlic clove, minced 3 tbsp. butter (keep one of which in the fridge to “finish” the sauce 1 tbsp. flour 3 pc bay leaves 6 branches fresh thyme 1 cup red wine, plus 2 oz for finishing the sauce 4 cups beef stock to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper Method: To make the salt: In a food processor, blitz the fresh herbs with 2 tbsp. of salt. Add the garlic and pulse to chop. Add the rest of the salt and the pepper and pulse until all combined. The salt should have a greenish hue. To make the beef: Ask your butcher to “french” the bones, and then cut the rib bones away from the muscle. You will be tying this bone “plate” back on to the muscle before roasting, so make sure you get it with your roast. Bring the roast out of the refrigerator. Rub the rib eye meat all over with the seasoning salt, then rub olive oil all over it. Use the seasoning salt on the rib bones as well. You’re going to bring the roast to room temperature before cooking– it will cook more evenly this way. A 6-7 lb roast will probably take about an hour to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500°F and adjust the rack so the whole roast can fit. Place the rib eye back on to the rib bones, to recreate what the roast originally looked like. Using strong butcher’s twine (ask your butcher for this – the thin-gauge type you can find at grocery stores will not do), tie the rib bones to the meat with knots in between each bone. Place the beef in a roasting pan with a rack. If you don’t have a rack, prop the roast off the bottom of the pan with halved onions. When the oven is hot, put the roasting pan on the lower rack. Close the door and immediately turn the heat down to 300°F. Cook for about 18 minutes per pound for medium rare. I like to use an internal thermometer to judge doneness; take the roast out when it reaches 120°F. Remove the roast from the pan, place on a platter, cover with tin foil then a kitchen towel to keep warm as it rests for about thirty minutes while you make the sauce. To make the sauce: In a saucepot over a medium heat, brown the beef trim in a tablespoon of butter. Add the shallots and caramelize, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and stir. Add another tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of flour and stir until the flour is nut-brown. Add the herbs, and deglaze with the red wine. Reduce the wine by half, then add the stock. Simmer and reduce by half again. Meanwhile, spoon off any excess fat that was left in the roasting pan, and place the roasting pan on a medium heat. Pour the contents of the saucepot into the roasting pan, and using a wooden spoon scrape up the roasting “fond” that had accumulated on the bottom of the pan while roasting. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. Strain the sauce back into the saucepot and whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter and a half glass (2 oz.) of red wine. Pour into a gravy boat and serve with the roast beef. To carve the roast: Cut the twine and discard. Take the rib bones, cut them into individual pieces, and present them on a platter. Using a long slicing knife, slice the beef and present it on the side of the bones, with the gravy on the side of the platter.

The Sum Of All Turkey Knowledge — Right Here If you want to get all fancy with your turkey - brining, butterflying, deep frying — go for it. But for a lot of people, simple roasted turkey really does the trick. Also, they may have a few hundred other things to worry about on Christmas day, so just throwing the bird in the oven and letting it go with minimal intervention, is an attractive proposition that doesn’t preclude a beautiful bird on the festive table. In pursuit of the most worry-free roast turkey, I’ve cross-referenced a number of classic all-purpose cookbooks (Joy of Cooking, Fanny Farmer, Canadian Living, Julia Child, The New Basics) and distilled them into the following turkey summary. All turkey cooking times are approximate. Your best bet is an accurate meat thermometer. When inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, a reading of 180° F (82° C) will ensure your turkey is done. With or without a thermometer, estimate 13 to 15 minutes per pound with the oven pre-heated to 325°. When cooking turkey in the traditional breast side up manner, the breast may become dry. If the breast appears to be cooking too quickly, cover with foil. Ideal breast temperature is 165°. For stuffed birds allow for an extra 20 to 30 minutes in total cooking time. Bread stuffing must reach 160° F. All turkeys will benefit from a 30-minute rest before carving. Turned turkeys, where the breast is not continuously exposed to the refracted heat of the oven’s roof are a good way to promote even cooking. Consult cookbooks or on-line sources. Happy feasting!

There are not many dishes that shout “COMFORT!” much like meatloaf, are there? When the damp and cool fall weather penetrates your bulkiest sweater and runs a chill down your arms, you know it’s time to eat something warm and nourishing. Hearty soups fit the bill, as does a roast chicken. But meatloaf, that forgotten dish your mom used to make you eat on cool weeknights, can really warm you up, from your tummy all the way down to your toes. I usually make meatloaf with just meat, but I wanted to try something new, inspired slightly by the granddaddy of all meatloaves: the haggis. Much like haggis, I have bulked up this meatloaf with barley, a delicious addition which is rich in nutrients. You can omit it, but I feel like it gives the meatloaf an interesting consistency (not to mention lowering the cost per person)! Ingredients 1 lb ground beef 3/4 lb ground pork 1 cup barley, soaked in water for 2 hours 1/2 red onion, finely chopped 2 slices sandwich bread, diced 1/4 cup milk 1 egg, whisked 2 tbsp HP sauce 2 tbsp Montreal steak spice to taste salt and pepper 1/4 cup BBQ sauce Method: 1) Bring a pot of water to a boil over a high heat. Drain the soaked barley and cook in the booking water until tender and fully cooked, about 45 minutes. Drain and cool. 2) Preheat the oven to 350°F. 3) In a small bowl, toss the bread with the milk. Let the bread soak up the milk (about five minutes), before mashing the bread into a paste. 4) In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the ground beef, ground pork, barley, egg, bread paste, HP Sauce, and Montreal steak spice. Season to taste. To check the flavour, cook a small tablespoon of the mixture in a pan or a microwave. Adjust the seasoning in necessary. 5) Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Fill the loaf pan with the meat and barley mixture. Spoon 2 tbsp of BBQ sauce on the top and spread it over the surface. Cover the loaf with aluminum foil. 6) Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Place the loaf pan into a larger roasting pan, then pour the hot water into the roasting pan. This creates a "water bath", and the meatloaf will cook more evenly because of this. Place the roasting pan in the center of the hot oven, and bake for 1.5 hours or, using an internal thermometer to test, until the center of the loaf is 160°F. Take the loaf out of the oven and turn the heat up to 400°F. 7) Remove the aluminum foil and pour the rest of the BBQ sauce on top of the meat loaf. Spread the sauce to cover the meatloaf, then put it back into the oven for ten minutes, or until the crust is caramelized. 8) Cool slightly, slice, and enjoy!

Here’s an oft overheard exchange at Sanagan’s

Customer - “How long should I fry these pork chops for?”

Meat Hawker - “Um, that’s a tricky one.”

So first, let me answer directly.

1 ¼ inch-thick bone-in rib chops, fried at medium heat, take 12 minutes to reach the government approved 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

¾ inch-thick centre cut chops; 6 minutes 45 seconds.

But if you just follow these instructions and end up with under or overcooked chops, don’t blame me. You gotta read this whole thing to really dig the pig.

To explore the eternal pork chop frying riddle, I employed a plain old glass top stove, a cast iron frying pan, a reasonably accurate meat thermometer and a stopwatch app.

Method:

A medium-sized cast iron pan receives a long preheat on one of the stove’s large elements dialled to #5 (exactly medium). On my stove, this setting, once it’s fully achieved, is more like a medium-hot. A small dribble of oil is then added to the pan. I’m using canola oil here, mainly because of it’s high smoking point. My fire alarm appreciates the consideration.

All the pork chops were cooked straight out of the refrigerator.

All meats were also given the customary post-cooking rest. This allows the meat, especially the very hot surface of the meat to cool, thereby retaining more moisture.

The chops were seasoned with salt and pepper, just before frying.

1 ¼ INCH FRECHED RIB CHOPS

These beauties are from the loin adjacent to the rib cage. They are cut thick to accommodate the rib bones and provide you with delectable tender pig steaks.

This loin chop hit the pan with a fanfare of sizzle. Initially I turned it every two minutes, quickly increasing that to once every minute. Frequent flipping allows you to really fine tune your finish and keeps you in constant contact with the meat. This monitoring allows you observe changes in appearance, aroma and feel — is the meat still wobbly or is it becoming hard? Understanding these changes is the most reliable way to know when your steak/chop is done, rendering timers, thermometers and articles like this extraneous.

At the 12 minute mark I removed the chop from the pan. It’s temperature read as 157 and climbing, levelling out at 159. After a four minute rest it had dropped to 156. The chop was juicy and, truth be told, I couldn’t stop “sampling” it. As you can see by the photo, it had a beautiful crust. Some of our customers desire an even juicier chop and will disregard the official temperature advisory.

¾ INCH CENTRE CUT CHOPS

Cut from further back in the loin, these succulent babies are what we call fast fryers and they’ll help you get a delicious dinner on the table post haste.

Pork Chop #1: 6 minutes = 153 F. + 1.5 minutes = 175 F.

Pork Chop #2: 7 minutes = 166 F.

Pork Chop #3: 6.5 minutes = 155 F.

And then I ran out of centre cut pork chops. So I’m guessing when I say that 6 minutes and 45 seconds gets you the perfect 160 F chop. But it’s a very educated guess. And, incidentally, all of the above chops tasted, more or less the same; as in - great.

So, as you can see, there are a lot of factors involved, all of which can effect your times. Is your stove’s “medium” the same as mine? How does your pan conduct the heat? Is your thermometer, if you’re using one, properly calibrated? And every pork chop is ever so slightly different — they are muscles from living animals, cut by humans not machines.

The above times are a useful guideline, but, given all the variables, the best way to accurately cook steaks and chops is to read the signs. Constant close observation will allow you, with experience, to read the meat.

Here’s my step-by-step guide to Thanksgiving turkey. Plan ahead, follow these instruction and your friends and family will be giving thanks all night long. And, if you want to make your life easier, pick up some of our housemade stuffing, gravy, and brine kits, available at both locations! Ingredients: 6 quarts water 1 cup salt 1 cup sugar 6 garlic cloves 4 bay leaves 8 thyme sprigs 1 turkey, 15 lbs 1 quart ice Vegetable oil for drizzling Compound Butter: 1 lb unsalted butter 1 bunch sage, leaves picked and chopped 1 bunch thyme, leaves picked and chopped 1 bunch chives, chopped 1 tsp ground allspice ¼ cup Madeira (or port) Salt and pepper to taste Stuffing: ½ lb butter 2 large cooking onions, peeled and diced 2 bay leaves 4 garlic cloves Liver from the turkey, finely chopped 2 celery stalks, diced 1 carrot, peeled and grated ½ tsp grated nutmeg ½ tsp ground allspice 1 bunch sage, leaves picked and sliced Salt and pepper to taste ½ cup Madeira (or port) (optional) 1 cups turkey or Chicken Stock (page xxx) 4 cups diced stale bread (dice it the day before and leave it to dry out) Gravy: 2 cups white wine (divided) 2 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp cooking fat (from the turkey) 1 turkey neck (from the bird), chopped into smaller chunks Giblets from the turkey 2 shallots, peeled and finely diced 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 bay leaves 4 thyme sprigs 4 sage sprigs Salt and pepper to taste the drippings from the cooked turkey (should be about 2 cups) 1 cup dark turkey or Chicken Stock (page xxx) Method: 1. The night before you plan to serve the turkey, in a stockpot large enough to hold the turkey, bring the water to a boil with the salt, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. When the salt and sugar are dissolved, turn off the heat and add the ice. Allow the brine to cool until you can stick your finger into it, pain free. 2. Remove the giblets, liver, and neck from the turkey (usually these are in the neck or body cavity). Set them in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Place the turkey in the pot with the brine (or place the turkey in the brining bag and add the brine, then place it in a bowl). Refrigerate for at least 12–15 hours (or one hour per pound). 3. To make the compound butter, cut the butter into slices and arrange them on a plate at room temperature to soften. In a small bowl, mix the chopped herbs, allspice, and Madeira with salt and pepper to taste. When the butter is soft, add it to the herb mixture and, using a spatula, fold them all together. Shape the butter into a rectangle on a layer of plastic wrap, roll up, and refrigerate overnight. 4. On the day of the celebration, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry. Discard the brine and set the turkey aside while you make the stuffing. 5. To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and the bay leaves, cover, and, stirring frequently, sweat for 15 minutes or until the onions start to change color slightly. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the giblets and liver and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the celery, carrots, allspice, nutmeg, sage, salt, and pepper. Turn up the heat to medium and sauté, stirring frequently until the celery starts to take on a bit of color. 6. Add the Madeira (if using) and reduce by half. Add 1 cup of stock, bring to a simmer, then pour the mixture on top of the diced bread. Mix thoroughly. If you find the mixture too dry, add a little more stock. Taste for salt and pepper. Set aside. 7. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Have ready your roasting pan. I like to use a pan with an elevated roasting rack, which allows hot air to circulate around the meat and cook it more evenly. 8. To prepare the turkey, lift the skin at the front of each breast and use your fingers to make a pocket between the skin and the breast meat. Cut the compound butter into ½-inch slices and slide the slices under the skin so they cover the breast. Stuff the cavity of the bird with the bread stuffing. Place the turkey on the rack in your roasting pan (if you don’t have a rack, line the bottom of the roasting pan with large chunks of onion and carrot and set the turkey on top of those.) Season the bird with salt and pepper and drizzle enough vegetable oil to cover the skin. 9. Place the pan on the center rack in the oven and roast for 4½–5 hours, basting every 30 minutes or so with the pan juices, until a thermometer plunged into the thigh of the turkey reads 180°F; the breast or stuffing should read 165°F. Remove from oven and transfer the turkey to a cutting board. Wrap the turkey in aluminum foil, then a tea towel to keep warm while it rests. 10. To make the gravy, pour the drippings and fat into a clear measuring cup (you might need two). The fat will rise above the drippings, spoon off the fat and discard, saving 2 tbsp. Reserve the drippings. Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium-low heat and add 1 cup of white wine. As it simmers, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift up all of the bits of caramelized roasting juices. Turn the heat off and set aside. 11. In a separate saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with 2 tbsp of the reserved roasted turkey fat. Add the turkey neck and giblet. Once brown, add the shallots and garlic and sauté until golden. Add the flour and stir vigorously to make an aromatic roux. Add the bay leaves, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper, and then deglaze the pot with the remaining white wine. Turn down the heat and stir constantly for about 5 minutes to cook the alcohol from the sauce. Add the reserved drippings (from both the measuring cup and the deglazed roasting pan) and stock, whisking to incorporate. Simmer for 5 minutes to incorporate the flavors. Strain the gravy through a fine-mesh sieve into a gravy boat. 12. To carve the turkey, use a spoon to remove the stuffing from the cavity. Place some in a bowl and some on the turkey serving platter. Slice the breast meat first using clean long slices on the diagonal through each breast. Remove the whole leg by twisting the thigh away from the backbone. Separate the drumstick from the thigh. Set the drumsticks on the platter leaning against the stuffing. Slice the meat away from the thigh bone and pile it next to the drumsticks. Fan out the breast slices next to that. 13. To serve, present the platter of turkey with the stuffing and gravy to your hungry (and happy) guests.