Turkey dinner with stuffing is one of my favourite meals! My mom makes the very best stuffing, my grandma taught her as she made it often at the restaurants, no ones stuffing can compare. Today I am sharing her recipe with you along with the rest of the foods that go along with turkey dinner.
Defrost turkey will take about 1-2 days, clean out the turkey, use giblets and neck for gravy.
Pat the inside the cavity with paper towel to take the bloody liquid left from defrosting.
I prefer brining my turkey over night for a very moist turkey.
I don’t measure I just add salt to a bucket of water. Here is a link on how to brine your turkey how-to-brine-a-turkey.
Once you are ready to roast your turkey melt about 5-6 tsp of butter and place under the skin of the turkey rub with seasonings of your choice, I only use poultry seasoning, also rub the cavity as well with the seasonings.
Place turkey in large roasting pan, and add about 3 cups of water in the pan, you will use that for your gravy later.
Cover with the lid. Roast in a preheated oven at 325 F, 20 minutes per pound or until juices run clear, you check with a meat thermometer and the temp has reached 170 for a un-stuffed turkey. It usually takes 3 and 1/2 hours for a 14 pound turkey in my oven.
Stuffing:
What you will need:
- 6-7 celery stalks chopped
- 4 onions chopped
- 1 loaf of sandwich bread
- 1/2 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of oil
- poultry seasoning and Italian seasoning or dry oregano
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries optional
Melt butter in a large pan, add oil sautee onion and celery until tender, season with salt, poultry seasoning and the Italian seasoning.
Cut pieces of bread into squares, mix all together with the onion and celery, season with salt and more seasonings if needed. Taste before baking or stuffing your bird. This is enough to stuff your turkey and a baking dish. If you need less stuffing, use less bread
Sprinkle some water on the stuffing it tends to get dry in the oven, so the water helps it stay moist. Or you can take the turkey out and use some of the liquid from the pan. I like my stuffing moist, I just test it out before baking.
If you are not stuffing the turkey, add the dressing to a baking dish and bake covered at 350 for about 25 to 35 minutes.
Mashed Potatoes:
Depending on how much you need is how much ingredients you need. It is really simple. You boil your potatoes in salted water, until soft. Drain, mash with a potato masher. Add warm milk and butter. Stir and adjust seasoning and milk.
Do not beat your potatoes, it will become goop! For a nice smooth texture make sure to boil potatoes long enough, and mash them well.
For Gravy:
When you put the turkey in the oven, you should bring a pot to boil with the neck and giblets, you will need about 5 cups of water. Season with salt. Once that is cooked you have your liquid for the gravy.
You will need to make a rue, take 4 tablespoons of butter and melt that in a sauce pan, add 4 tablespoons of flour and stir until flour turns light brown, add in a chicken cube for flavour, you can add turmeric for colour if you desire. Quickly whisk in the broth, you can use the broth from the roasting pan as well. If your gravy isn’t thickening up add a cornstarch slurry, bring to a boil and it should thicken up with the cornstarch. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. If your gravy is too thick add more liquid.