Whole Thanksgiving Turkey With Miles Standish Stuffing And Gravy Food

"MILES STANDISH" STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer the contents to a bowl and set aside.
• Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, turning once, until light brown. While the toast is hot, lightly spread both sides with butter. Cut the toast into 1-inch squares and transfer to a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the thyme, sage and rosemary. Toss and set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat; add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then add the pepperoni pieces and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, stirring, until browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add the celery and onion mixture, pepperoni, sausage and mozzarella to the bowl with the bread. Mix to combine, then add the chicken stock to moisten all of the ingredients; toss.
• Pour the mixture into a 3-quart baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until golden brown, about 20 more minutes.

TURKEY AND STUFFING

Steps:

• For the turkey: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan, fitted with a roasting rack if desired, and soak the cheesecloth in the butter. Season the bird with salt and pepper. Brush any remaining butter on top of the bird and cover the breasts with the cheesecloth to prevent the top skin from burning before it is cooked. Place the celery, onions, garlic, sage, bay, and rosemary in and around the turkey in the roasting pan - these will be used to make the stuffing when everything is roasted.
• Place the roasting pan in the center of the oven. Cook for about 12 minutes per pound. After about 2 hours of cooking, remove the cheesecloth from the top of the breasts and return the turkey to the oven to cook for 1 more hour. If the tips of the wings start to get too dark, cover with foil to prevent them from burning.
• For the gravy: Place the neck and the chicken stock in a pot and simmer gently on top of the stove as the turkey finishes cooking. The stock should reduce by about half. Season with salt and pepper.
• How do you know when the turkey is done? The temperature of the thigh meat (where the meat is thickest and takes the longest time to cook) should register 165 degrees F when tested with a thermometer. When done, remove the bird from the oven, transfer it to a flat surface (or serving platter), and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before removing the vegetables for stuffing and carving the meat.
• For the stuffing: Heat a large skillet and add half a stick of butter. Add the sausage and cook until brown and crispy. Reserve any grease and set the sausage in a large bowl with the roasted vegetables from the turkey tray. Add the remaining butter to the pan. Add the cubed sourdough bread and cook, stirring, until they toast golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Toss and season with salt and pepper before adding to the bowl with the vegetables. Stir everything together and taste for seasoning, adjusting if necessary.
• For the gravy: Unless the bottom of the roasting pan is burned, you can make delicious gravy. Place the roasting pan over the burners of the stove, add the mustard and marsala to the pan, and warm it over low heat. Scrape the bottom to get the drippings and tasty bits off of the pan as the marsala reduces. Strain the neck out from the stock and pour about 1/2 cup into a small bowl. Whisk the flour into the bowl, taking care there are no lumps. Reduce the marsala until there is almost no liquid. Add the remaining chicken stock and the flour mixture to the roasting pan. Whisk to blend. Taste for seasoning. Reduce until the mixture thickens. Transfer to a gravy boat.
• Allow the turkey to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Serve sliced turkey with stuffing (dressing) on the side.

ROAST TURKEY WITH STUFFING AND GRAVY

Steps:

• In a non-stick skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain. Allow bacon to cool and crumble. Add onions and celery to bacon fat and cook until tender. Stir in mushrooms and cook until golden. Stir in seasonings. Remove skillet from heat and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Soak 3 cups stuffing croutons in water. Squeeze out water from croutons so that they are moist but not soggy. In a large bowl, combine dry and moist croutons with onion mushroom mixture. Mix in eggs and moisten with water if necessary. Fill cavity of turkey with stuffing. Cover opening of cavity with foil. Tuck wings under turkey. Make a small slit in neck skin and tuck legs through slit to secure. Transfer leftover stuffing to a baking dish, cover with foil and bake alongside turkey. (This may need to be moistened.) Place stuffed turkey in roasting pan. Rub turkey with butter and season. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting for approximately 3 hours or 15 to 20 minutes per pound. Baste the turkey with its drippings occasionally as it cooks. Turkey is done when pricked with a knife on the thigh the juices run clear. When turkey is done, transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil. Allow turkey to rest so that juices can be reabsorbed. Place roasting pan over medium high heat. Skim off excess fat with a spoon and reserve in a bowl. Add 3 cups hot chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. In a small dish, combine into a paste 3 tablespoons flour with 3 tablespoons of reserved fat. Whisk flour mixture into simmering gravy. Season with salt and pepper.

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY WITH HERBED STUFFING AND OLD-FASHIONED GRAVY

Steps:

• Place oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Lightly brush roasting rack with vegetable oil and place in roasting pan.
• Remove plastic or paper packet of giblets from turkey (usually in small cavity). Remove from packaging and rinse; reserve gizzard and heart; discard floppy, dark purple liver. Remove neck from large cavity. Remove from packaging, rinse, and reserve. Using tweezers or needlenose pliers, remove any feathers and quills still attached to skin (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others). Pull off and reserve any visible pale yellow knobs of fat from either side of tail (not found on all birds).
• Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Loosely fill small (neck) cavity with stuffing. Fold neck skin under body and fasten with metal skewer. Loosely fill large body cavity with stuffing. Transfer remaining stuffing to buttered dish and drizzle with 1/4 cup stock. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to rack in roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks loosely together with kitchen string. Rub turkey all over with softened butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Tightly cover breast area with foil, leaving wings, thighs, and drumsticks exposed.
• Transfer gizzard, heart, neck, and reserved turkey fat to roasting pan around rack. Pour 2 cups stock into pan.
• Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices (lift up foil to reach breast area) and continue roasting, basting every 45 minutes, 1 1/2 hours more (2 1/4 hours total). Baste again and, if pan juices have evaporated into glaze, add 1 cup stock to pan. Roast another 45 minutes (3 hours total). Remove foil from breast area, baste, and add stock if necessary, until instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 180°F, about 1 hour more (4 hours total).
• Insert instant-read thermometer into center of stuffing in body cavity. If thermometer does not read 165°F, transfer stuffing to microwave-safe baking dish and microwave on high until 165°F, about 3 minutes for 10 degrees. Cover and keep warm. Using turkey holders (or by inserting large metal serving spoon into body cavity), transfer turkey to large serving platter. Let stand 30 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, bake extra stuffing and make gravy: Raise oven temperature to 350°F. Remove giblets and neck from roasting pan and discard. Pour pan juices into measuring cup or gravy separator. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and reserve fat or, if using separator, carefully pour juices into measuring cup, reserving fat left in separator.
• Transfer foil-covered dish of extra stuffing to oven and bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add enough remaining stock to pan juices to total 4 cups. Measure turkey fat, adding melted butter if necessary to total 6 tablespoons. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners on moderate heat and add fat. Whisk in flour, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, then cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in pan juice-stock mixture and bring to a boil, whisking often. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and keep warm. (Gravy can be kept warm over very low heat, covered, up to 20 minutes. If it thickens, thin with additional stock before serving. If skin forms on top, whisk well to dissolve.)
• When extra stuffing has baked 10 minutes, remove foil and bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Pour gravy through fine-mesh sieve into large bowl, then transfer to gravy boat. Carve turkey and serve gravy and stuffing alongside.
• Test-Kitchen Tips:
• •To combat dryness, most frozen turkeys and some fresh are injected with a saline solution. This is not a good thing, though: Injected birds generally lack flavor and can have a mushy texture. For this reason, we recommend buying a fresh turkey and checking the label to be sure there aren't any additives. (Look for the words "all natural.") Don't be too concerned, though, with the many other terms that can be applied to turkeys, such as free-range, organic, or heritage. All can be excellent.
• •When buying a fresh bird, be sure to purchase it no more than two days before Thanksgiving. If you must get a frozen bird, defrost it in the refrigerator in a pan to catch drips, allowing a full 24 hours for each 5 pounds.
• •Warm, moist stuffing is an optimal environment for bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli to multiply, so it's important to follow safe procedures. Be sure to make the stuffing at the last minute so it can go into the bird warm. This helps it move above the "danger zone" (the optimal temperature range for bacteria growth) more quickly during roasting. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the middle of the stuffing to make sure it's 165°F, the temperature at which bacteria will be killed. If it's not 165°F, scoop it out of the cavity and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
• •More stuffing tips: Be sure not to overpack the cavities, as the stuffing will expand during cooking. Loosely fill the turkey, then spread the extra in a casserole dish (no more than 2 inches deep) and bake it after the turkey comes out (be sure to refrigerate it until then to impede bacteria growth). Drizzle the portion in the casserole dish with extra stock to make up for the juices it won't get from the turkey. If you want the stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey to be extra-moist (as opposed to having a crisp crust where it's exposed), cover the exposed portion with a small piece of aluminum foil.
• •Opinions vary on whether or not to stuff the bird-some people think it can cause uneven cooking. If you prefer not to stuff your bird, fill the cavities with a chopped vegetable and herb mixture that will impart its flavor to the meat and pan juices: Chop 1 onion, 1 celery rib with leaves, 1 carrot, and 3 tablespoons fresh parsley. Mix this with 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, sage, and thyme. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the mixture inside. An unstuffed bird will take about 15 minutes to a half hour less to cook than a stuffed bird. When the turkey is cooked, tilt it to allow any juices that have collected in the cavity to drain into the pan. Do not serve the vegetable mixture, as it may not have cooked to a safe temperature.
• •This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve more people. Estimate about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. Cooking times (for a stuffed bird, cooked at 325°F to an internal temperature of 180°F) will be as follows: 8 to 12 pounds: 3 to 3 1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds: 4 to 4 1/4 hours 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours 20 to 24 pounds: 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
• •Some experts prefer to cook their turkeys to an internal temperature of 170°F (rather than 180°F, as in this recipe). If you don't mind having the meat slightly pink, this is perfectly safe and makes it more moist. However, Rick Rodgers, who created this recipe, believes that the dark meat in particular does not achieve its optimum flavor and texture until it reaches 180°F. If you choose to stuff your turkey and cook it to only 170°F, its stuffing will almost definitely not reach the safe temperature of 165°F. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the center of the stuffing, and if necessary remove it and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
• •Letting the turkey stand for half an hour after it comes out of the oven is an essential part of the roasting process. When meat roasts, its juices move to the outer edge of the flesh. Letting it rest gives the juices time to redistribute, making for a moister turkey. An added bonus: The resting time provides an excellent window of opportunity to make the gravy and reheat the side dishes. There's no need to cover the bird-it'll stay warm enough, and covering it would only soften the crispy skin.

THANKSGIVING STUFFED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Reserve turkey giblets and neck; cover and refrigerate. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Melt 1/4 cup butter; brush over turkey. Sprinkle with seasonings., Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 4 to 4-1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes after the first hour. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), In a large skillet, heat remaining butter over medium heat; saute vegetables until tender. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, parsley and onion mixture; stir in broth and egg substitute. Divide mixture between two greased 2-qt. baking dishes. Bake, covered, until a thermometer reads 165°, about 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes., For gravy, place vegetables, seasonings, 4 cups water and reserved giblets and neck in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until giblets are tender, about 1 hour. Strain stock; return to pan., Remove turkey from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving. Skim fat from pan drippings; add remaining drippings and loosened browned bits from roasting pan to stock., Mix flour and remaining water until smooth; stir into stock mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve with turkey and stuffing.