Best Thanksgiving Turkey Dressing Recipes

ROAST VERMONT TURKEY WITH GIBLET GRAVY AND SAUSAGE AND SAGE DRESSING, FOR THANKSGIVING

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the turkey. Remove all extra parts; reserve giblets. Cut off wingtips and any excess neck, etc. Season turkey inside and out with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; be generous. Loosen up leg joints without tearing skin.
• 2. Make the stuffing by roughly chopping the lemon , apple, onion, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley and bay leaves into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix with oil. Put stuffing into cavity and truss the bird. Do not tie too tight.
• 3. Start the stock at least 30 minutes before roasting the turkey. Place the wingtips and neck in a saucepan; add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam. Reduce heat to a slow simmer. Add onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, peppercorns and parsley stems. Allow to simmer about 2 1/2 hours. Strain stock and reserve. You should have about 3 cups.
• 4. Make a paste by kneading 6 tablespoons unsalted butter with 1/4 cup flour. Rub this vigorously and thoroughly into the skin of the bird.
• 5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons flour evenly on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place turkey on a rack in the pan. Allow time for turkey to come to room temperature if it is still cold to the touch.
• 6. Place turkey in oven. Leave in oven for 40 minutes or until the bird is browned all over. Combine 8 tablespoons butter with 1 teaspoon of water and bring to a boil. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and baste the turkey generously with the butter mixture. Repeat this process twice, once every 10 minutes, until basting liquid is used up. At this point, the turkey should be in the oven about 1 hour. Now baste 2 more times at intervals of 15 minutes, using pan drippings. At this point, the turkey has been in about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cook 20 minutes more without basting, to allow the skin to crisp. Remove from oven. Allow to rest at least 30 minutes before carving. Make the gravy during this resting period.
• 7. To make the gravy, remove turkey to a serving platter. Place roasting pan directly on top of a burner on medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, allowing excess liquid to evaporate. Stir constantly. Now carefully remove any excess fat that has not combined with the flour to make a roux. Add the diced leek and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add 3 cups turkey stock, allowing the gravy to thicken as it comes to a boil. At this point it may be switched to a saucepan. Make sure that every bit of the pan drippings has been incorporated into the gravy. Add the giblets and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the hard-boiled egg and remove from heat. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt, if necessary.
• 8. Carve the turkey and pass the gravy. Serve with country sausage and sage dressing and cranberry relish.

TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING TURKEY STUFFING / DRESSING

Steps:

• Fry meats (we use a combination of burger and mild Italian sausage).
• While meat is frying, cube the bread and dump in a very large bowl; drizzle butter over bread cubes; toss cubes, then set aside.
• When meats are browned, add onions & celery; cook until tender; then pour over bread cubes, tossing again and again until well-mixed.
• Add water/milk ONLY if you like a wetter dressing--otherwise omit.
• Add seasonings according to your taste, toss again.
• Mixture can now be stuffed into the rinsed-out & salted turkey cavities (then placed immediately into oven to be roasted) -- when turkey is roasted, remove stuffing with a long-handled spoon, into a nice serving dish--it will have absorbed all that wonderful turkey pan juices---oh goodness how delicious!
• OR -- spoon into a greased casserole dish, cover and bake until JUST crispy along the edges -- about 45 minutes.
• Whatever doesn't fit into the turkey, spoon into a small casserole pan and bake along with the turkey---turns out every time.
• VARIATION #1: Sliced, fresh mushrooms when browning the meats.
• VARIATION #2: Sprinkle some cornmeal when tossing the bread with the meat---mmmm!
• VARIATION #3: Water chestnuts coarsely chopped or sliced--adds a nice crunchiness the kids love!
• SUGGESTION: Unless you have a very small family -- DOUBLE THE RECIPE -- you won't be sorry, this is EXCELLENT when reheated the next day, too.
• PICKY EATER OPTION: Saute onions & celery in a separate pan until transparent, then dump in the blender along with the melted butter---pour this over the bread cubes and meat. All the aroma & flavor, just no "yukkies" to pick out for those who "hate" onions or celery.
• LEFTOVERS (if you're lucky!): reheat in the microwave.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY OYSTER DRESSING STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Trim the crusts from the bread. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until dry but not yet browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside.
• Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan or microwave-proof dish, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Brush a 2-quart (2-l) casserole or gratin dish with the melted butter and set aside.
• In a large saute pan, add another 1 tablespoon of the butter and melt over high heat. Add the spinach and saute just until it has wilted. Drain the spinach, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
• To the same saute pan over medium heat, add the remaining butter. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the button and shiitake mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the oysters, oyster juice, sausage, spinach, dried fruits, and salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes more, stirring frequently to combine the ingredients. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Stir in the cream and milk until well blended. Add the parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Add the reserved oyster mixture, bread cubes, and spinach and stir until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, with a little more salt and pepper.
• Transfer the mixture to the buttered casserole dish. Bake until the dressing is heated through, puffy, and golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY & DRESSING

Steps:

• TURKEY: Take the turkey out of the plastic bag and rinse off with cold water. Rinse inside the turkey cavity. This is were you will be putting the stuffing. Take a turkey bag and open it up. Sprinkle 1/4 c flour in the bag and shake the bag. Cut the remaining onion in chunks and cut some celery in 3" pieces. Place in the bottom of the bag. This will help to prevent the turkey from sticking to the bottom of the bag. Put the turkey in the bag and seal with the tie that comes with the bag. Put 6 slits in the bag, and put in a preheated oven for the amount of time listed on the directions for the bag.

MOM'S/GRAMMA'S THANKSGIVING TURKEY & DRESSING

Steps:

• Purchase an 18-20 pound frozen turkey on the Monday, prior to Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). Keep in its sealed covering and place on a cookie sheet or a roasting pan and defrost in refrigerator. Purchase 2 large loaves of Packaged white bread; remove from wrapper. Place on a cookie sheet to dry thoroughly.
• Thanksgiving Morning - Allow 1 hour for preparation time before cooking begins.
• Remove turkey from sealed covering.
• Loosen legs from wire clamp.
• Remove neck and giblets (liver, gizzard & heart) from body cavity.
• Thoroughly rinse turkey and cavity under running cold water, including body and neck. Set upright to drain.
• Sprinkle salt in neck and breast cavity, not on skin - it would cause it to blister when cooking.
• Place neck & gizzard in medium size pan, barely covering with cold water and simmer covered approximately 1 hour.
• STUFFING:.
• Moisten dried bread slices with cold water-pile on cake racks to absorb and drain.
• 2 large packages/loaves dried bread slices.
• 1 12 - 16 ounce package Jimmy Dean "Regular" Pork Sausage.
• 2 large onions quartered.
• Turkey Heart and Liver.
• 2 eggs.
• 3/4 Tablespoon Sage.
• 1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning.
• Salt and Pepper.
• 1/3 cup dried parsley - crushed.
• 1/2 stick margarine-melted.
• Brown pork sausage in frying pan -breaking meat into small pieces -drain off fat -set aside.
• Place in blender, or food processor:quartered onions, turkey hear and liver cut in halves, eggs, and seasonings. Blend to liquid consistency.
• Melt margarine; set aside.
• Squeeze excess water from bread with hands and bread into bite size pieces. Place in large mixing bowl.
• Add drained pork sausage. Mix.
• Add blended ingredients and melted butter. Mix thoroughly, but lightly. DO NOT PACK.
• By handfuls, gently place stuffing into neck cavity. Do not pack - close with small poultry nails or skewers.
• Fill body cavity - loosely - DO NOT PACK! Close cavity by replacing legs into wire clamp as originally positioned.
• Tuck wings under back. Place bird, breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan - (No need to turn bird during roasting time).
• Drizzle 1/2 stick melted margarine over bird.
• Place roasting pan on lowest shelf in 300 - 325 degree oven, uncovered - do not add water. Roast 13 to 15 minutes per original unstuffed weight (usually 4 1/2 to 5 hours total).
• Wrap remaining stuffing in foil, roll edges to form pouch and refrigerate.
• After 1 - 1 1/2 hours into roasting time, juices will accumulate in pan - use for basting chest every 1/2 hour thereafter.
• After 2 hours 2 hours roasting time, add 1 large onion, chopped, to bottom of pan - they will brown and make delicious gravy. If skin is darkening too quickly, cover with a tent of foil.
• If sufficient juices aren't forming - add 1/2 cup of water when onions are browning to prevent them from burning. Add boiled neck neck and gizzard - save water used to boil them for gravy.
• After approximately 3 1/2 hours of cooking -if skin is browned satisfactorily, cover roasting pan with its cover. Be cautious to tilt cover away from yourself to allow steam to escape before further basting. Place foil pouch of extra stuffing on wire shelf along side of roasting pan.
• Roasting time is completed when leg moves freely at thigh joint when pushed - or internal temperature is 180 degrees, if roasting thermometer is used (inserted in thickest part of thigh, but not against bone) or internal stuffing registers 165 degrees.
• Remove from oven - place turkey on cookie sheet. Cover with roasting pan cover - let sit for 20 minutes before carving to allow internal juices to flow.
• GRAVY - prepare in roasting pan over medium heat.
• Remove excess fat from pan drippings. Scrape browned residue from bottom and sides of pan-slowly add mixture of 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water - use wire whisk and blend until thickened - add neck and gizzard water (or water from cooking white potatoes) until desired consistency is obtained - Add salt and pepper to taste - strain into medium size pan, cover and reheat before serving.
• Remove dressing from neck and body cavity - place in large serving container - mix dressing from foil pouch - cover with foil to retain heat.
• Carve turkey - serve - Sit up straight, place your napkin on your lap, pass the cranberries and ENJOY!