Potato and Nut Stuffing

A rich, bread-free stuffing built on mashed potato, sized for a bird of 8-10 lb. It goes in warm and comes out of a bird that needs long roasting, so the timing note below matters more than anything else here.

• Stuffing temperatureFill the cavity loosely and only just before the bird goes into the oven, and take the center of the stuffing to 165F before serving. A dense potato mixture packed tight conducts heat poorly and will lag well behind the breast meat.
• YieldRoughly 5 to 6 cups; the recipe specifies no bird size, only that it fills the body of the goose. Any surplus bakes well in a buttered dish for 25-30 minutes at 375F.
• PotatoesUse a floury variety and mash them dry, without milk, since the cream and yolks supply the moisture. Wet, gluey potato makes a stuffing that never sets.
• "Cream"The recipe does not specify a grade. In this period unqualified "cream" could mean anything from thin table cream to thick cream, so heavy cream gives the richest result and half-and-half a looser one.
• Sweet herbsThe period shorthand for the mild kitchen herbs: thyme, marjoram, savory, parsley, sometimes sage. The recipe calls for a teaspoon without saying dried or fresh; a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs, or about a tablespoon chopped fresh, suits the quantity.
• English walnutsSimply the common walnut, named to distinguish it from the American black walnut, which is far more assertive and would dominate this mixture. Toast the meats lightly first for better flavor and less sogginess.
• Egg yolksBeat them into the potato once it has cooled below scalding, or they will scramble in streaks.
• Fat from the birdGoose and duck render a great deal of fat into the cavity. Prick the skin and pour off the drippings during roasting, or the stuffing will be swimming.