Ahhh Turkey. It's redeeming quality is that it's a vessel for making delicious stuffing. Otherwise I will totally pass it up for Ham. Anyway, here is a set of recipes for making an amazing turkey dinner that will put you in the ultimate food coma.
Other related recipes:
The recipe is here, and pictures of the process are below.
Ingredients:
Turkey:
Turkey (12-18 lbs.)
Softened butter
Salt
Stuffing:
4 boxes dry sage or turkey flavored Stovetop stuffing mix (about 10 cups stuffing mix)
1 stick salted butter (4 oz. 113 g)
1 lb (454 g) pork sausage (454 g)
2 1/2 cups diced celery (280 g)
2 1/2 cups diced carrots (354 g)
2 1/2 cups diced onion (300 g)
4-5 cups chicken broth (~960 to 1200 mL)
Turkey Gravy:
2 packets of gravy mix (or gravy mix that comes with turkey)
Turkey drippings
Water
Mashed Potatoes:
2-3 large peeled/unpeeled potatoes
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk or cream (to taste)
1/2 to 1 stick salted butter (4-8 Tbsp.) (to taste)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Directions:
Turkey Preparation and Stuffing:
Thaw turkey completely, can take 1-2 days in water or in fridge.
Prepare stuffing first.
Melt butter in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Add pork sausage with carrots, onion, and celery. Cook until sausage is cooked and vegetables are softened (8-10 minutes). You don't want the vegetables to get too soft since they'll be cooked more in the oven.
Add the stuffing and moisten with chicken broth and an additional cup of water if necessary. You want it very wet.
Turkey:
Take note on cooking directions on turkey packaging (e.g. cooking temperature and time for the size of the turkey). Rinse the turkey and take out gibblets, etc. Pat dry. Put tin foil in baking pan (or even better a turkey roasting pan with a lid) and place turkey (breast side up) inside. Add stuffing to inside of turkey and around turkey. Brush the turkey with softened butter and sprinkle the skin with a light coating of salt.
With extra stuffing: place in a Pyrex or metal pan and roast for 30-45 minutes while the turkey is cooking.
Place a lid (recommended), or a tent of aluminum foil (works but may dry out the turkey faster) loosely over the turkey when it begins to turn golden. Bake the turkey at recommended temperature on package.
While baking, take the turkey out every 45-60 minutes and use a turkey baster to baste it in it's own juices.
Bake until the thermometer reads 165°F (in between the legs and for the breast). Thermometer inserted in center of stuffing should read also read 155-165°F.
Mashed Potatoes:
While baking, prepare mashed potatoes and rolls, if desired.
Wash, peel, and dice the potatoes into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes. Boil for 15-20 minutes submerged in water.
Use a fork to test if they are done. Mash them with the butter and milk until smooth. Stir in desired amounts of salt and pepper.
Finishing the turkey and gravy:
When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and let it stand for 15 minutes for easiest carving. Keep turkey covered with aluminum foil so it will stay warm.
Pour leftover turkey drippings in a measuring cup. Fill it the rest of the way (to the water amount specified on the turkey gravy packets) with water. Then finish preparing turkey gravy as described on packet.
Recommend served with: mashed potatoes, vegetable, homemade rolls, and prepared gravy.
Stuffing:
Add butter to a saucepan and allow it to melt
After the butter melted.
Then we add in the vegetables and pork sausage.
After cooking the sausage until browned, and veggies until soft, but not too soft.
Then we add in the stuffing mix and mix together.
Then mix in enough chicken broth until the stuffing is moistened. Now it's ready for the turkey!
Turkey:
Wash the turkey and remove any gibblets and excess skin that comes with it.
Then place the turkey in the pan and pat it dry.
Add your stuffing inside the cavity and around the bird.
Then cover the skin with a layer of butter and salt.
Then cover the bird and place in a preheated 350 degree fahrenheit oven for 2-4 hours, or until the bird and the cavity register at 165 degrees fahrenheit.
This was about 2/3rd of the way through the baking process. I removed the lid and replaced it with tin foil to get better aeration to the turkey while cooking.
I always forget to take a picture before I eat some...
Mashed Potatoes:
Rinse and peel the potatoes (the ones on the left wouldn't peel with the dull peeler I had so I left the skin on. )
Dice the potatoes.
Boil the potatoes (while submerged) for 15-20 minutes and use a fork to test when they are done.
Strain the potatoes.
Add the hot potatoes back to the pan and add in butter and some milk.
Then mash them until creamy and smooth!
Season with salt and pepper to taste and they're done. Ugh, so gooood.
Gravy:
First add turkey drippings to a measuring cup.
Fill the rest of the cup with water to the water amount specified on the gravy packet (2 cups for my recipe).
Add the water+turkey drippings and gravy powder to a pan. Then mix together.
After mixing them together.
Gently boil while continuously whisking until the gravy is the desired thickness.
OOOO so good!
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