The Holiday Turkey 🦃
I’ve been making the Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys since I was tall enough to see over the kitchen counter. Before that, I was at the very least, helping to get it ready with my mom. I always gave the turkey a little pinch, then insisted on knowing if it was a hen or a tom so I could properly bestow a name before the roasting began. This is my special recipe for my favorite Herb Roasted Turkey with Stuffing. It’s meant as a step by step instruction for anyone fairly new to cooking a turkey and all the “fixings”. It comes with tips to help you avoid the many, many, many (did I say many?) mistakes I’ve made in the past.
Thanksgiving has always been my very favorite holiday. I have always loved cooking and entertaining every bit as much as I enjoy being cooked for and entertained by others. There’s nothing more enjoyable for me than cooking for the people I love the best and that is why I try to make each year as special as I can.
Memories of Thanksgivings Past
When we were kids, we always had a big family get together. Every year we switched between two of my favorite aunts and uncles homes and our own. It’s funny how wonderful, but distinctively different the feast was from home to home. Always such good food shared at a table, that was just a bit too small for our crowd. All the better for us, we’d fit in somehow, elbow to elbow, knee to knee, and the requisite kid table too. Once, as a little one, I even sat on a laundry basket for lack of enough chairs!
As life went on, our parents’ homes got bigger, the tables and chairs as well. Until, we kids started up, on our own, in our own little homes and too little tables with makeshift chairs. And, so it continues, to the next generation once again!
It’s true what they say, our cousins are our first best friends. To this day, no matter how long we go without seeing each other, we’re all back to where we left off, even if years and years have passed by between visits. I would say that I have been very, very fortunate to have been surrounded by such wonderful family and rich memories too. I promise one day soon, we’ll do it again!
Oh The Calamities
One of the first years I was completely on my own with the bird, by my own request, mind you, it was such a turk-tastrophy. Long before the internet, tablets, and smartphones, we relied on good old-fashioned cookbooks. Of course, a recipe only works when one takes the time to look at it. I believe, I just (turkey) winged it and cooked that bird from sun up to sundown.
Everyone was at the table, probably starving and a little afraid that there actually may not be dinner. With all the confidence of a master chef, I went to the oven to retrieve the giant bird. As I lifted it from the roasting pan, the entire carcass came up, and the meat, still in perfect shape, stayed behind. All in full view of family and friends. I believe they all clapped to keep me from panic. Well, guess what? It was perfection. Yes, that turkey was expertly de-boned and as moist and delicious as you could imagine. Well, that’s how I choose to recall it anyway.
Over the years I’ve over-salted, under seasoned, I dropped the entire finished turkey onto the floor in front of the table, in full view of all our guests (at least twice). I’ve overcooked and undercooked. My “Pinterest-able” handmade chocolate turkeys that melted right at their place settings in the squelching November heat of California Thanksgivings. Oh, and my favorite failure of all time, putting the name of an ex-husband on the place card intended for the current boyfriend. Yes, I actually did that too! (Really, I can’t make this stuff up). Yet, for some reason, everyone still shows up!
There’s almost no mistake I haven’t made at least once. Especially as I pretty much start drinking wine as soon as the turkey gets its first basting. But the good news is, there’s almost no mistake that can’t be fixed. And even better, you’re most likely cooking for the ones who will always be most willing to forgive your imperfections! They might not let you forget them, but they will always forgive them!
True Confessions of Herb Roasted Turkey with Stuffing Past….
This is the first time I’ve ever actually written down instructions for my version of Herb Roasted Turkey with Stuffing. I have to say, now that I see it all on paper, it does look daunting as $*@#! If this is your first or second time, just follow the instructions and it will be fun and it will come out perfectly, I promise. Just be sure to get a crew together for gravy time and pour a glass of wine. Truth is, turkey is just a much bigger version of a chicken dinner…You can do this!
What Turkey To Buy?
First of all, I think a 17-20 lb turkey is perfect. Even if I were cooking for just two people, I would roast at least a 15 lb turkey. I can eat a scary amount of turkey, I need plenty of leftovers. Aside from repeating the feast a few times over, you can make so many other things with turkey. I make a million things including soup, turkey and dumplings, sandwiches, etc. I have never thrown out extra turkey!
Reason #1 to have plenty of leftover turkey! My favorite, Turkey and Dumplings! https://wp.me/p9KEfL-1×6
Whatever size turkey you have, you can make this recipe work, it’s based on roasting time per lb, whether you stuff your bird or leave it out.
There really is a difference between a fresh, free-range turkey and a frozen turkey from the market. But, I get it, there’s also a huge price difference. This turkey will work with either one, but if you can, get a fresh, free-range turkey!
Herb Roasted Turkey with Stuffing
To stuff or not to stuff. Well, I am always, all about, stuffing the bird. I usually stuff and also serve a separate casserole with more stuffing for anyone who likes it that way. Truth is, there’s no stuffing or dressing I wouldn’t like. It’s perfectly spectacular either way. One, super moist, and the other with a crispy, crunchy top. So, do what I do, a bit of both!
For the Herb Roasted Turkey with Stuffing
2 days ahead, make sure if you have a frozen bird, that it’s totally defrosted. Remove all the packaged gizzards, liver, heart, etc. and set aside. (Remove any pop-up timers, plastic binders for wings or neck, etc. and discard). Cooking these down with some water, seasonings make a perfect basting liquid for early on in the roasting process. I also use any leftover to supplement the gravy!
Basting Liquid
To prepare, just put everything from the bag of gizzards you fished out of the bird, including the neck, into a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan and fill with about 8 cups of water. Turn the heat on medium and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add 1 teaspoon salt with 1 teaspoon each of ground sage, chopped rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. Or, substitute with 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning.
Let the mixture simmer on low for about 1 hour. Discard the solids, cover, and refrigerate until it’s time roast the turkey.
Dry Brine For Moist Meat and Crispy Skin
Rinse the turkey well, set it into your roasting pan, breast side up, on top of the raised rack. Pat the turkey dry, inside and outside. Remember to wash your hands frequently during this entire process.
In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup salt with 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper and 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage and rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Mix well.
Brine the entire surface and interior of the turkey. Stuff the inside with fresh herbs such as sage, thyme and rosemary. I also loosen the skin from the meat. I do it very carefully, just putting my fingers under the skin and gently separating any connection between the meat and skin, carefully making sure I do not tear any of the skin.
Cover with plastic wrap and let the turkey sit in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, the day before roasting, remove the plastic and let the turkey sit in the refrigerator without any cover. The air combined with the drying skin will help the turkey skin become super crispy when roasting. In addition, the seasoning acts as a dry brine, helping the meat become moist.
The Big Day – Preparation
Preheat oven 450º.
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator at least 90 minutes prior to roasting. Discard the fresh herbs from the cavity. Stuff the turkey with your stuffing, careful to not over stuff. It should be fairly loose but still full. Turn the wings so they fit snuggly under the turkey and stuff the neck cavity as well. Fold the skin over the neck and secure with small skewers or toothpicks. Close the legs and secure with cooking twine.
Into the bottom of the roasting pan, under the rack, add 2 peeled and roughly chopped onions, 2 carrots, roughly chopped. Add 3-4 cups of water or chicken/vegetable stock to the bottom of the roasting pan.
If you made the basting liquid, as above, remove from the refrigerator, place in a saucepan, and heat on low flame.
Now, this is the part I learned from watching Martha Stewart! It makes for the most beautiful turkey!
In a large saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter and add 1 bottle of dry white wine or use 5 cups of chicken or vegetable stock in place of the wine. Heat on medium until the butter is melted and the wine has heated through. Mix to combine. Use disposable cheesecloth. Pull it out of the plastic and fold it into quarters. Using tongs, submerge into the liquid until drenched. Lay the cloth over the turkey, covering the breasts and wings and as much down the sides to cover the legs as well.
Cooking time!
Roasting time is 15-20 minutes per lb for an unstuffed turkey. So, for this recipe, a 17-20 lb turkey, stuffed will take about 5 hours, plus resting time. Add about 5 minutes per lb for a stuffed turkey. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165º. You can remove the turkey when it’s 160º as it will continue to cook while it’s sitting. I let my turkey rest for as long as 2 hours. I always start my turkey roasting at least 2 hours before I plan to serve dinner. A turkey can rest for as little as 30 minutes, so there’s a lot of forgiveness if you need extra time.
When you check the temperature, make sure you’re not hitting any bones and that you’re into the darkest part of the turkey, that’s the area that takes the longest to cook. Another great way to test is to look at the legs. If the juices are running clear, that’s a perfect sign. Also, if the skin is starting to separate at the leanest part of the leg, that’s a good indicator.
Roasting and Basting
Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350º and be sure to baste with your basting liquid, every 30 minutes. Eventually, you will have enough liquid in the roasting pan to baste right from the drippings. Keep the rest of the basting liquid, if you have any left, to supplement the gravy!
After about 2 1/2 hours of roasting and basting, you will notice that the cheesecloth is getting very, very dark. Okay, now it’s time to remove it and throw it away. This is when your guests are going to say WOW! That’s the prettiest turkey I’ve ever seen. Lap it up, have a sip of wine and carry on…….you have lots to do still!
If the breast is very dark, you may see the legs are not quite as dark. If so, tent the breast with foil and keep the legs exposed to continue to brown. Continue to roast and baste until the instant read thermometer reads as directed above.
Remove from the oven, tent the entire turkey with foil, and let it rest. (That’s the turkey, you’re just getting into gear…there’s so much to do. I call this the crazy time!)
For the Gravy
Remove the turkey from the pan to a cutting board. Pour all but about 1/2 cup of the pan juices into a turkey separator. If you don’t have one, put the juices into a tall pyrex measuring glass or similar container, allowing about 10 minutes for the fat to rise to the top.
Heat the roasting pan on medium heat, heating up the leftover liquid in the pan. Once it’s heated up add 1/2 cup of white wine or bourbon to the pan and pick up any of the bits and pieces from the roasting pan. When the mixture is hot and bubbling add about 1/4 cup of flour into the pan, and using a whisk, make a roux. Keep whisking until thick, then continue to cook the flour down another few minutes. Once hot and thick, slowly add back the liquid from the roasting process (less the fat) and continue to whisk. It will get thick.
Add more liquid, whisking constantly. If you need more liquid that from the roasting pan, use any leftover basting liquid or chicken or vegetable stock. I use a total of about 3 cups of liquid for the gravy. Just keep whisking and simmering the gravy (just below a boil). When the gravy is the right consistency for you, it’s ready to go. Keep in mind that it will usually get a bit thicker as it sits and cools down.
Check the gravy for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Pour into gravy boats and serve with the turkey
For the Sourdough and Sausage Stuffing (or) Dressing
I like to use fresh bread for my stuffing. Buy a few loaves of freshly make sourdough boules and cut them up into 1-inch dice a few days before I make the stuffing. I leave it out to get dry and stale. I think it makes the dressing more appealing than store-bought dried bread crumbs. However, we don’t always have that kind of time, if you don’t, no stress, buy it already done.
Preheat oven to 350º
Into a very, very large mixing bowl, add about 12 cups of cubed, dried sourdough bread. Set aside.
In a large saute pan cook 1 lb Italian sweet sausage. If it’s in link form, remove the casings and break into small pieces. Once cooked, remove from pan to rest, set aside. In the same pan, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Add 2 diced onions and 1 entire bunch of celery, chopped, including the leaves with 1 tablespoon dried sage and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add 1/2 teaspoon black pepper with 4 cloves of minced garlic. Stir to combine.
Pour over the bread cubes and toss to combine. Add about 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, making sure that the stuffing is nicely moist, not too wet. Add 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and 1/4 cup very finely chopped fresh sage. If you like, add 2 cups toasted and chopped pecans and 1 cup dried fruit of your choice, such as cranberries or cherries. If you like apples, add 2 cups peeled, cored, and chopped granny smith apples. Toss everything together.
Stuff the turkey as described above. Add the extra to a well-buttered casserole. Top with 1/2 cup butter, cut into small bits, then dollop over the top. Bake the stuffing for 30 minutes, covered with foil. Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Happiest Thanksgiving Wishes! Enjoy
Turkey, Herb Roasted With Gravy and Sourdough Sausage Stuffing/Dressing
Notes
You can make the stuffing in advance, but never stuff a turkey until just before you are ready to roast the turkey.
Ingredients
For the Turkey and Brine
- 17-20 lb fresh free range turkey
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage*
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary*
- (*Plus extra fresh sprigs of herbs for stuffing inside cavity during dry brine process)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2-3 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1-2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 bottle dry white wine
- disposable cheesecloth, folded into quarters
For the Basting Liquid
- giblets from the bag inside the turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground marjoram
- (Optional - substitute sage/rosemary/thyme and marjoram with 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning)
For the Gravy
- 1/2 cup pan juices, from bottom of the roasting pan
- 1/2 cup white wine (or substitute bourbon)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-2 cups defatted pan drippings
- 1-2 cups left over basting liquid or chicken or vegetable stock or water
- salt/pepper to taste
For the Stuffing
- 12 cups dried/cubed sourdough bread, dried or lightly toasted
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1 cup unsalted butter, divided
- 2 large onions, peeled and diced
- 1 large bunch of celery, including leaves
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
- 1/4 cup very finely minced fresh sage
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme or 1 tablespoon *fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground marjoram
- 1 tablespoon very finely minced rosemary
- (Or substitute dried herbs with equal amounts of poultry seasoning)
Optional: 2 cups toasted and chopped pecans, 1 cup dried fruit such as cranberries or cherries. or 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped granny smith apples
Special Equipment
- Roasting Pan with Rack (make sure it's large enough for the turkey)
- cooking twine, metal skewers
- instant read thermometer
- fat separator
- disposable cheesecloth (found in grocery stores)
Instructions
Prepare The Turkey 2 days Ahead
- 2 days ahead, make sure if you have a frozen bird, that it's totally defrosted.
- Remove all the packaged gizzards, liver, heart, etc. and set aside. Take out any plastic pop up timers or plastic pieces that bind the legs/wings and discard.
Prepare the Basting Liquid
- To prepare, just put the gizzards (liver, heart, etc) from the inside of the turkey, into a medium sized, heavy bottomed sauce pan and fill with about 8 cups of water.
- Turn the heat on medium and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and add 1 teaspoon salt with 1 teaspoon each of ground sage, chopped rosemary, thyme and marjoram. Or, substitute with 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning.
- Let the mixture simmer on low for about 1 hour.
- Discard the solids, cover and refrigerate until it's time time roast the turkey.
For the Dry Brine
- Rinse the turkey well, set it into your roasting pan, breast side up, on top of the raised rack.
- Pat the turkey dry, inside and outside. (Remember to wash your hands frequently during this entire process)
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup salt with 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper and 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage and rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
- Cover the entire surface and interior of the turkey with the brine and pat down.
- Very gently, using your fingers, separate any connection between the skin of the turkey and the meat to skin. Do this very carefully, over the breast and down to the thighs.
- Put sprigs of fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and or sage into the cavity of the turkey
- Cover with plastic wrap and let the turkey sit in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, the day before roasting, remove the plastic and let the turkey sit in the refrigerator without any covering.
- (The air combined with the drying skin will help the turkey skin become super crispy when roasting. In addition, the seasoning acts as a dry brine, helping the meat become moist.)
Roast Day - Preparation
- Preheat oven 450º.
- Remove the turkey from the refrigerator at least 90 minutes prior to roasting.
- discard the herbs inside the cavity
- Stuff the turkey with your stuffing, careful to not over stuff. It should be fairly loose but still full.
- Turn the wings so they fit snuggly under the turkey and stuff the neck cavity as well.
- Fold the skin over the neck and secure with small skewers or toothpicks.
- Close the legs and secure with cooking twine.
- Into the bottom of the roasting pan, under the rack, add 1-2 peeled and roughly chopped onions, 2-3 carrots, roughly chopped and 3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed.
- Add 3-4 cups water or chicken/vegetable stock to the bottom of the roasting pan.
- If you made the basting liquid, as above, remove from the refrigerator, place in a sauce pan and heat on low flame.
- In a large sauce pan, melt 1 stick of butter and add 1 bottle of dry white wine (or substitute with 5 cups of chicken or vegetable stock in place of the wine, if you prefer)
- Heat on medium until the butter is melted and the wine has heated through. Mix to combine. Use a disposable cheese cloth. Pull it out of the plastic and fold it into quarters. Using tongs, submerge into the liquid until drenched.
- Lay the cloth over the turkey, covering the breasts and wings and as much down the sides to cover the legs as well.
Roasting and Basting
- Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350º
- Be sure to baste with your basting liquid, every 30 minutes. Eventually, you will have enough liquid in the roasting pan to baste right from the drippings. If for some reason, the roasting pan gets dry, just add more liquid to the bottom.
- Keep the rest of the basting liquid, if you have any left, to supplement the gravy.
- After about 2 1/2 hours of roasting and basting, you will notice that the cheesecloth is getting very dark, remove it and throw it away.
- If the breast is very dark, you may see the legs are not quite as dark. If so, tent the breast area with foil and keep the legs exposed to continue to brown.
- Continue to roast and baste until the the instant read thermometer reads as directed above.
- Remove from the oven, tent the entire turkey with foil and let it rest.
Cooking time
- If you have a unstuffed turkey, roast for approximately 15-20 minutes per lb and add approximately 5 minutes per lb if you stuffed your turkey. So, for this recipe, a 17-20 lb turkey, stuffed will take about 6 hours, plus resting time. The longer the turkey rests, the better for cooking the center of the stuffing.
- Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165º. You can remove the turkey when it's 160º as it will continue to cook while it's sitting.
- (Keep resting time in mind! I let my turkey rest for as long as 2 hours)
- When you check the temperature, make sure you're not hitting any bones and that you're into the darkest part of the turkey, that's the area that takes the longest to cook.
- Another great way to test is to look at the legs. If the juices are running clear, that's a perfect sign. Also, if the skin is starting to separate at the leanest part of the leg, that's also a good indicator.
For the Gravy
- Remove the turkey from the pan to a cutting board. Remove any of the roasted veggies too.
- Pour all but about 1/2 cup of the pan juices into a turkey separator. If you don't have one, put the juices into a tall Pyrex measuring glass or similar container, allowing about 10 minutes for the fat to rise to the top.
- Heat the roasting pan on medium high heat, until bubbling. Once it's heated up add 1/2 cup of white wine or bourbon to the pan and pick up any of the bits and pieces from the roasting pan. When the mixture is hot and bubbling add the liquid has reduced by about half, add 1/4 cup of flour into the pan, and using a whisk, make a roux.
- Keep whisking until thick, then continue to cook the flour down another few minutes.
- Once hot and thick, slowly add back the defatted liquid from the roasting process and continue to whisk. It will get thick.
- Add more liquid, whisking constantly. If you need more liquid that from the roasting pan, use any left over basting liquid or chicken or vegetable stock. Continue to whisk and add stock or defatted juices until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. (I usually use a total of about 4 cups of liquid for total)
- Check the gravy for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Pour into gravy boat and serve with the turkey
For the Sourdough and Sausage Stuffing (or) Dressing
- preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Into a very large mixing bowl, add about 12 cups of cubed, dried or lightly toasted sourdough bread or purchased stuffing croutons. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan cook 1 lb Italian sweet sausage. If it's in link form, remove the casings and break into small pieces.
- Once cooked, remove from pan to rest, set aside.
- In the same pan, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter.
- Add 2 diced onions and 1 entire bunch of celery, chopped, including the leaves with 1 tablespoon dried sage and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
- Cook until the onions are translucent.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon black pepper with 4 cloves of minced garlic. Stir to combine and cook another 2 minutes.
- Pour over the bread cubes and toss to combine.
- Add about 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, making sure that the stuffing is nicely moist, not too wet.
- Add 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and 1/4 cup very finely chopped fresh sage.
- OPTIONAL: If you like, add 2 cups toasted and chopped pecans and 1 cup dried fruit of your choice, such as cranberries or cherries. If you like apples, add 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped granny smith apples.
- Toss everything together.
- Stuff the turkey as described above.
- Add the extra to a well buttered casserole.
- Top with 1/2 cup butter, cut into small bits, then dollop over the top.
- Bake the stuffing for 30 minutes, covered with foil.
- Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top.
