Top Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Swedish Roasted Turkey With Spice Apple Rice

This season, local dad Chef Marcus Samuelsson, of “Top Chef” and Red Rooster fame, is encouraging families to gather ’round in the kitchen and get everyone involved with cooking. Don’t miss our interview with him before you enjoy this Swedish rendition of the holiday turkey. (While this is a substantial dish that needs heavy parent involvement, young kids can still help to stir and taste.)

INGREDIENTS 

For the turkey

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 large onion, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 Granny Smith appples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 Shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cardamom pods or ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 star anise
• 2 whole cloves or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 black peppercorns
• 4 white peppercorns (or 4 additional black peppercorns)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 10-pound turkey, preferably free-range

For the spice apple rice

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 ½ tablespoons yogurt
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

To prepare the turkey, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Blanch the sweet potato in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potato, onion, apples, shallots, garlic, thyme, and mint. Combine the water and olive oil and add to the vegetable mixture, tossing to coat.

Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush the cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves, black peppercorns, and white peppercorns with the salt. (Or combine the spices on a cutting board and crush the with bottom of a heavy pot.) Add half the spice mixture to the vegetables and reserve the rest.

Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Remove all the excess fat. Lightly stuff the bird’s cavity with a bout half the vegetable mixture and tie its legs together with kitchen string. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and rub its all over with the reserved spice mixture. Scatter the remaining vegetable mixture around the turkey.

Roast for about 1 ½ hours, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thigh reaches 160ºF. After the first hour, or when the vegetables in the pan are tender, remove them from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Check the pan occasionally as the turkey roasts, adding a bit of water if it becomes completely dry.

When the turkey is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board. Remove the vegetables from the cavity and add to the vegetables in the bowl. Cover the turkey loosely with foil and let rest while you cook the rice.

Add a few tablespoons hot water to the roasting pan, stirring well to deglaze the pan. Pour the liquid into a measuring cup and skim off as much of the fat as possible. Add enough additional water to make 1 cup.

To prepare the rice, combine the rice, water, deglazing liquid, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 18 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat, fold in the yogurt and reserved vegetables, and season with salt if necessary and pepper.

Carve the turkey and serve with the rice.