Thanksgiving Turkey with Sage Dressing

Thanksgiving Turkey, Sage Dressing and Gravy Recipes
this is another Peggy Bucholz recipe and photograph created for my website www.finedinings.com

Thanksgiving turkey for roasting (see chart below for Sage Dressing recipe)
1 yellow onion, unpeeled, medium sized, cut into wedges
1 carrot unpeeled, large size, cut into chunks
1 stalk celery, large size, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon Thyme

Cook the Giblets for gravy
Remove giblets from the cavity, I discard the liver, it has a bitter taste and should not be included in making the stock. Put the neck, gizzard and heart into a large saucepan along with the onion, carrot, celery and thyme.  Add enough cold water to completely submerge the ingredients.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until tender, approximately 1-1/2 hours. 

Remove the giblets to a cutting board.  Strain the broth (stock) into a large saucepan, or if not preparing the gravy immediately put the stock into a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.  Press the vegetables with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.  Discard the vegetables.  Remove meat from the neck bones and chop coarsely along with the gizzard and heart.  Store separately, refrigerate in a covered container.  This can be done 1 day ahead.

How to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving
If the bird is frozen allow 4 to 5 hours per pound to defrost in the refrigerator. 

Rinse the bird inside and out with cold water; pat dry; rub inside cavities with salt. Loosely fill with Sage Dressing (recipe below). Secure cavities shut with kitchen string or skewers; tie legs together, fold wings under.  Place on a rack, breast side up, in a large shallow baking pan; rub skin generously with vegetable oil.  Roast on oven rack in lowest position at 325° for 15 minutes per pound.  When the turkey begins to turn golden, cover with a loose tent of foil.  It is done when juices run clear and the legs move freely up and down easily without much resistance at the hip joint.  Remove from oven to rest on a cutting board; do not avoid this step, this is what makes the meat juicy and tender, not dried out.  Tent with aluminum foil while preparing the gravy. 

Gravy Recipe for Thanksgiving
Pour pan drippings from the roasted turkey into a large saucepan; remove any fat. Add the stock you made from refrigerator, bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Combine cornstarch with enough cold water to dissolve, continue mixing until no lumps appear. Whisk desired amount into the heated stock to your preference of thickness; add chopped giblet meat, taste for seasoning and serve gravy with a roasted Thanksgiving turkey and sage dressing. 

See my Thanksgiving Dinner Menu's for ideas of what to serve with turkey.

how much dressing to make? See my easy chart to determine how much dressing you will need 
                                             for your Thanksgiving turkey

What size Thanksgiving turkey are you preparing? 

From the chart below select the amount of Sage Dressing to prepare for Thanksgiving turkey.

Sage Dressing Recipe

CHART

Dice onion and celery, saute with oil in a large skillet over high heat until tender.  Place bread cubes in a large bowl, heat water to boiling, pour over bread cubes, add onion-celery mixture, blend well.

In a small bowl beat eggs slightly, add salt, pepper, nutmeg, sage, poultry seasoning and parsley. Add to bread mixture blending well.  

Stuff and truss both ends of the turkey with this delicious classic sage dressing recipe.

If you are not stuffing the turkey or have an excess amount of sage dressing, place the sage dressing in a 9x13 oiled pan covered with foil and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the sage dressing is crusty and golden, approximately 35 minutes more. Enjoy!