Purchase the size turkey you need to feed your group plus a little for leftovers. ¼ pound is generally a serving for one person, but most men eat twice that.
Remove the wrapper from the turkey, remove the neck and giblets from the cavity and wash the turkey inside and out with water. Let it drain on a towel while you prepare the stuffing.
Stuffing
Combine in a large bowl:
1 package of prepared stuffing mix & seasonings
1 C. Chopped onion
1 C. Chopped celery
1 can Sliced chestnuts drained. optional
1 can sliced mushrooms drained, optional
2 t. each sage and poultry seasoning
1 C. melted butter or broth to moisten not soak stuffing
Salt the cavities of the turkey.
Spoon stuffing into both ends of the turkey and fasten with turkey pins.
Place turkey breast side up in a large roasting pan.
Baste turkey with a mixture of:
1 C. oil
1/8 C. lemon juice
1 T. whole rosemary
1 T. whole thyme
Cover turkey loosely with a tin foil tent and put in oven. You may need to adjust the rack in order for it to fit. Roast turkey at the time and temperature indicated on the turkey wrapper, basting every hour. Remove the tent the last half hour or so of cooking in order to brown the turkey.
Turkeys are never done exactly when the wrapper says. Sometimes they take longer; many times they take less time depending on your oven. Don’t over cook your turkey or it will dry out. A meat thermometer inserted into the breast meat, but not touching the bone is the best gauge. Digital meat thermometers must be inserted to check then removed when the turkey is put back in the oven. Another gauge is that the turkey is done when drumstick moves easily.
When done, remove your turkey from the pan and let the turkey sit for 20 minutes or so before slicing while you make the gravy.
Gravy may be made in the roasting pan or juices may be scraped off the pan and put into the smaller pot. The dark brown gives the gravy it’s best flavor.
Spoon the fat from the juice and discard in a can. Heat the drippings in your roasting pan or pot.
Stir in a paste made from shaking in a tight jar until smooth:
1 C. milk
4 T. flour
Stir this paste evenly into the hot drippings, cooking to thicken.
Turn the heat down a bit and add a cup of water and thicken again.
Add more water if needed.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Be very careful with the hot gravy. It can burn big people and little people.
When your gravy is finished, turn it down to warm while you slice the turkey.
It’s smart to make sure all of your other things are ready while the turkey is cooking so that you can eat the minute the gravy is finished and the turkey is sliced.
Turkey spoils quickly so remove all of the meat from the turkey carcass after you have finished eating and put it away. You can make a good turkey soup by tossing the carcass right in a pot, covering it barely with water and boiling then simmering it for an hour or so.
The carcass can also be frozen and used later.
Pour the broth into a refrigerator dish. Pull any extra meat off the bones and toss the carcass.
When you are ready to eat your soup, adjust the seasonings in the broth, cook some noodles, throw in some extra turkey and you have another good meal.
You can often purchase a fresh turkey breast at the store. They can be roasted the same way a turkey is by basting with the basting mixture and roasting according to time table on the package and making gravy from the drippings. Turkey is a nutritious and inexpensive meal. It usually goes a long way.
Thanksgiving leftovers can be stored separately and reheated in the microwave or layered into a casserole dish for easy reheating all at once in the oven or microwave: Potatoes, then stuffing, turkey, corn, sweet potatoes, then gravy over all.
