Roast Turkey w/ Giblet Gravy

Classic Stuffed Roast Turkey w/ Giblet Gravy

Ingredients

Sage Sausage Stuffing (click here) or your choice of stuffing
14-pound fresh or frozen (thawed) ready-to-stuff turkey
Salad oil or ½ pound butter (less for a smaller turkey), softened
Salt & pepper (freshly ground pepper is best)
Giblet gravy (see below)

Instructions

The Bird . . .

1.. Prepare the Sausage Stuffing; set aside

2.. Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for Giblet Gravy. Rinse turkey with cold running water and drain well; pat dry with paper towels.

3.. Spoon some stuffing lightly into neck cavity (do not pack stuffing; it expands during cooking). Fold neck skin over stuffing; fasten neck skin to back with one or two skewers. With turkey breast side up, lift wings toward neck, then fold them under back of turkey so they stay in place.

4.. Spoon some stuffing into body cavity (bake any leftover stuffing in greased small covered casserole during last 45 minutes of roasting time). Close by folding skin lightly over opening; skewer if neccessary. Depending on brand of turkey, with string, tie legs and tail togehter, or push drumsticks under band of skin, or use stuffing clamp.

5.. Brush skin with salad oil or rub with softened butter (butter gives an excellent flavor to the turkey and to the gravy - be sure to butter turkey thoroughly). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place, breast side up, on V-shaped rack in open roasting pan. Cover turkey with a loose tent of foil so turkey does not brown too much. Insert meat thermometer through foil into thickest part of thigh, next to body, being careful that pointed end of thermometer does not touch bone. Roast turkey in a preheated 325° oven about 4½ hours, basting the turkey every 20 minutes with juices in pan (if pan is too dry, add some butter and water, then baste). Start checking turkey for doneness during last hour of rosting.

6.. While turkey is roasting, prepare giblets and neck to use in Giblet Gravy.

7.. To brown turkey, remove foil tent 20 to 30 minutes before turkey is done and, with pastry brush, brush turkey generously with pan drippings for an attractive sheen. Turkey is done when thigh temperature on thermometer reaches 180° to 185°F and the thickest part of drumstick feels soft when pressed with fingers (protected by a folded paper towel). (Breast temperature should be 170° to 175°F, stuffing temperature 160° to 165°F)

8.. When turkey is done, place on warm large platter; keep warm. Prepare Giblet Gravy. Serve gravy with turkey.

The Gravy . . .

1.. In 3-quart saucepan over high heat, heat giblets, neck, and enough water to cover to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour or until giblets are tender. Drain, reserving broth. Pull meat from neck; disgard bones; chop neck meat and giblets; refrigerate.

2.. To make gravy, remove rack from roasting pan. Pour pan drippings into 4-cup measure or medium-sized bowl (set pan aside); let drippings stand a few seconds, until fat separates from meat juice. Skim 1/3 cup fat from drippings into 2-quart saucepan; skim and discard any remaining fat (or pour remaining fat into plastic container and save it to make more homemade turkey gravy later - it can be stored in freezer). Add reserved giblet broth to roasting pan; place over a burner and heat, stirring & scraping until all the browned bits are loosened. Add this to the saucepan.

3.. Into fat in saucepan, stir 1/3 cup all-purpose flour over medium heat for 3 minutes or more, until lightly browned, but do not burn! Gradually stir in meat-juice mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly and is smooth. Stir in reserved giblets and neck meat; simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour gravy into gravy boat. Serve gravy with turkey.

Serving Suggestions

Roast turkey with stuffing and rich giblet gravy being arguably the ultimate comfort food as it is, you don't really HAVE to have a whole lot else with it. Deciding what to have with the classic holiday combo is really a matter of cultural, regional or ethnic preferences. Most people do what their family has been doing for generations, with few small variations. Other adventurous types will "cross over" to another family's version of Thanksgiving Dinner; and still others may skip the turkey altogether.

For this classic recipe, sweet potatoes or yams, maybe candied, are a perfect fit (try our Sherried Sweet Potato recipe). Tangy-sweet cranberry sauce, jellied or whole, makes for a traditional flavor accent, popular since the days of the Pilgrims (who called them "crane-berries" because great flocks of cranes would feed on the red berries in the marshes, hence the American-English name). White turnips, a fresh vegetable, greens -- hey, I think we had buttered peas (from frozen) in the mix last time and it was great. To each his own!

Then of course there's pumkin pie (or how about pumpkin cheese-cake?), maybe with some real whipped cream on top, yummie!; or delicious hot apple pie; the Amish love rhubarb pie; a Black American or Southern favorite is sweet potato pie, and we could go on endlessly...

NOTE:. This recipe is for a 14 pound turkey; for other sizes, try this rule of thumb: Cook 15 minutes per pound if turkey weighs less than 16 pounds, 12 minutes per pound if heavier. No matter what, when your meat thermometer reaches 180° to 185° in the thigh, remove bird from oven and let stand on a warm platter for 10-15 minutes to redistribute the juices and settle the meat before carving.

• Time: about 6½ hours before serving. Makes 14 servings.
...425 calories per serving without stuffing.
...A good source of riboflavin, niacin, iron.

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