Turkey Dinner for Thanksgiving or Christmas

This is the way my mother made a turkey dinner, and it is fool-proof if you follow the directions.

Read all instructions ahead of time, make a shopping list, and set out everything you'll need before you start work.

Wear an apron.

Clean up and wash surfaces and dishes as you go.

• 1 turkey, frozen or fresh (see below)
• roasting pan (big enough to fit the bird)
• 1 500 g package Maple Leaf pure pork sausage --comes frozen in a roll, thaw out in the fridge a day or two before using
• 1 box Brownberry seasoned stuffing mix (requires melted butter) OR 2 cups seasoned croutons OR 1/2 loaf of seasoned stuffing bread cut into cubes
• butter
• diced raw yellow onion (1 cup)
• 2 cups chicken broth (or water) for stuffing
• bay leaf
• Gravy: turkey neck and giblets (from inside the bird), milk, flour, small onion, salt and pepper.
• Clean dark-coloured quilting thread and a large darning needle (always sew up the turkey so the stuffing never escapes the bird while cooking)
• aluminum foil (wide-sheet size like BBQ foil)
• meat thermometer if you have one (or over-cook the bird and you won't need one)
• disposable food prep gloves to cover your hands if you don't like handling raw poultry bare-handed
• 2 platters for the sliced turkey
• gravy boat for the gravy
• casserole serving dish for roasted stuffing
• sharpened carving knife (my dad always sharpened the knives before these occasions)

Buying a Turkey:  

1. Choose a turkey with a high round breast if you want more white breast meat for sandwiches from leftovers.
2. Buy a frozen turkey a week or more before the dinner. Frozen turkey takes about 4-7 days to defrost in the fridge depending on the size. A plain frozen "utility" turkey costs less and cooked my mom's way, tastes as good as more expensive pre-stuffed or butter-basted turkeys. Just make sure you get a turkey with the giblets included.
3. Size: You need 1 lb. of turkey per adult guest because turkey has a lot of bones. So you buy a 14-pounder for 14 people, or a 14-pounder for 10 people if you want left-overs. Just don't buy a turkey larger than your freezer compartment, fridge, roasting pan or oven will accommodate. Measure before you go if you're not sure.

Four Days Before

It takes about 5 hours per lb. to defrost a turkey in the fridge, which is the safest way to defrost.

Take the turkey out of the freezer and put it in the fridge at least 70 hours before you want to cook it. For a Saturday dinner, you'd take a 14 pound turkey out of the freezer on Tuesday and put it into your fridge to defrost. 

For an afternoon dinner on Christmas day, put a frozen turkey in the fridge to defrost before you go to bed on the night of December 21. If you have kids and a crazy schedule, put a sticky note on the fridge and bathroom mirror to remind yourself.

The thawed turkey will go in the oven at 8-10 AM on Christmas day (depending on the size of the bird and the time of the dinner), so plan accordingly to have time to stuff the bird and for present unwrapping.

 If you're shopping for a turkey a couple of days before you need to cook it, you'll have to either run out and buy a fresh turkey (who has time two days before these occasions?) or forget this recipe and buy a pre-stuffed frozen turkey that you can cook from frozen.

If you need to, see my post on how to cook a frozen unstuffed turkey without defrosting it first.

Assuming you have a fresh turkey or a turkey defrosted in the refrigerator....

One Day Before

Take the roll of pure pork sausage you bought for the stuffing from the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost.

The Morning of the Turkey Dinner

For an afternoon Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, ready the turkey in the morning.

A stuffed, 14-pound turkey needs about 3 hours to cook plus preparation time. Cooked my mom's way it won't suffer if it has to stay warm in the oven after it's cooked, so get started early.

Prepare Stuffing

If you can't find Maple Leaf Natural Pork Sausage meat, frozen in a roll, you can buy 500 g of fresh sausages, split the casings, squeeze out the sausage and use that. If you substitute chicken or turkey sausage or Italian sausage meat, the stuffing will taste different because of the differences in meat and seasonings.

1. Remove  thawed pure pork sausage meat from the package and separate into chunks in a large pan, adding some oil to the pan if necessary to keep the meat from sticking.
2. Brown sausage meat in the pan on the stove till cooked through and no longer pink.
3. Separate sausage meat chunks with a fork.
4. Season with salt or pepper to taste if needed.
5. Drain excess grease from the sausage meat and let cool.

Stuffing:
Prepare 1 package Brownberry Stuffing Mix as per package directions, adding diced onion and cooked pork sausage as below. Or use 12-14 oz seasoned turkey stuffing croutons or about 6-7 packed cups of fresh seasoned stuffing bread cut into cubes (about 1/2 a loaf). If you have a smaller turkey you can get away with using less bread, for a turkey over 15 pounds you might add more sausage.

1. Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a pot and add 1 cup diced onion, sautee until browned. 
2. Add 2 cups chicken broth or water, heat.
3. Toss onion mixture with croutons until croutons are dampened.
4. Add the drained cooked pork sausage and stir.
5. Allow to cool slightly for easy handling before stuffing the bird.

Prepare the Raw Turkey and Start the Gravy

1. Disposable food prep gloves are great for people who don't like sticking a bare hand up a raw turkey. If you've bought some, put them on.
2. With the turkey in the clean, empty sink or on a large baking sheet or tray to catch liquids, remove the packaging from the thawed turkey and discard the plastic.
3. Check the cavity (stick your fingers up the front and back) of the turkey to find the neck and packet of gizzards, Remove them and set aside in a bowl.
4. Cut the protruberance that held the tail feathers (called the pygostyle or "pope's nose") off the back of the turkey but leave enough skin to sew up the opening. My mom always threw the turkey's blob away, saying it was the bum, but you can cook it separately and try eating it if you like because it's supposed to be a nutritional powerhouse full of iron and calcium, though if left on the bird it can make a fowl taste foul (bitter).
5. Remove gizzards from the bag and don't throw out any of them except the bag.
6. Place the liver (the floppiest one) in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate till 30 minutes or so before the turkey is finished cooking.
7. Place the turkey neck, heart and kidneys in a medium-sized pot. Wash and drain. Cover and refrigerate these  till you finish stuffing the turkey and have the turkey in the oven. Then you will continue making the gravy.
8. Arrange oven racks so that your roasting pan will fit inside with the lid on.
9. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
10. In the sink, rinse the turkey with water and pat dry with paper towel.
11. Place the turkey in the cold roasting pan or on a large baking sheet if you have one. (Prepare the turkey on the baking sheet and transfer it to the roasting pan after stuffing and sewing the bird.)
12. Stuff the bird from both ends with the prepared sausage meat stuffing. Stuffing should be somewhat loose, not over-packed, as it can expand while cooking.
13. Use the skin of the bird to tuck over the stuffing and close the cavities at both ends, by sewing the skin shut with sturdy dark thread and a large needle. Use large stitches and dark thread so that you can remove the thread easily when the bird is completely cooked.
14. Position the turkey in the roaster breast-side down. This is important as it ensures that the white meat self-bastes in the turkey's own juices. Roasting the bird "upside down" means the skin will be less crispy but the meat will be so much more juicy and flavourful.
15. Put the stuffed bird in the preheated 325 degrees F (160 C) oven, without the lid. Using my oven, convection setting at 325 degrees F is best at the start, then I place the lid on later when the bird looks a bit golden. If you don't have a lid, or it doesn't fit over the turkey, tent the bird later with aluminum foil. 
16. Roast the defrosted, stuffed bird about 20 minutes per pound. A 12 to 14-pound turkey will take about 3 hours to cook. It could take more time if there is a great deal of stuffing packed inside the bird.
17. You should start to smell the turkey roasting after an hour--if not, check to make sure you remembered to turn the oven on!
18. A fresh (not previously frozen) turkey may take less time (15 minutes per pound.)
19. An unstuffed turkey will cook in about 10 minutes per pound.
20. While the turkey cooks, prep your side dishes (peel potatoes and carrots), find all the casserole dishes you will use to cook side dishes, and....

Continue making the Turkey Giblet Gravy

1. Leave the raw turkey liver in the fridge.
2. Take the turkey neck, heart, kidneys in the pot out of the fridge.
3. Add 1 bay leaf.
4. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.
5. Turn down the heat, put lid on the pot and simmer 1-1/2 hours till tender.
6. Check occasionally: if the water boils down, add more boiled water. You will need about 2 cups of this stock for the gravy.
7. Take the cooked turkey neck and giblets out of the water, to cool.
8. Strain the bay leaf from the hot stock and discard the bay leaf but save all the meat and liquid for the next step.

Check the Roasting Turkey:

1. After the skin looks golden, remember to cover with the lid or tent with aluminum foil so that the skin doesn't over-brown or start to dry out.
2. Tenting with foil or adding the lid is another way to keep from having to baste the bird with its own juices.
3. If the bird seems to be cooking too quickly (or if company calls and says they'll be late and the turkey is almost ready) turn the oven down and keep the bird covered or tented with foil. The juices at the bottom of the pan will "steam" the bird and keep it moist.
4. I often get so busy with everything else that's going on that I don't even look at the turkey till it's almost time to serve it, as long it smells like there's a turkey cooking, I figure it's fine. But until you've done this a few times, check it every half-hour and adjust temperature and if you don't have it covered for some reason, you'll have to baste with pan juices.
5. A meat thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the turkey's thigh will show 180 F when the turkey is done. Or pierce the turkey's thigh and if the juice runs clear the turkey is done. Or my usual way-- wiggle the turkey's leg. A done turkey leg wiggles easily. If the leg falls off, the turkey is really done. Oh well. Don't worry about this because you don't have to carry the turkey to the table and carve it in front of everybody like people do in TV shows.
6. When the turkey is done, remove the roaster from the oven and let the cooked turkey sit in the pan for about 15 minutes. Do not remove the stuffing yet! It will get in the pan drippings. Use a large spoon to take out some of the pan drippings for the gravy, which you have to finish making first.

Finish Making the Gravy:

1. Chop the cooled, cooked heart and kidneys into bits.
2. Remove the meat from the cooked turkey neck and chop. Discard all bones.
3. Take the raw liver from the fridge.
4. In a large, deep saucepan, fry liver in 1-2 tbsp melted butter for about 3 minutes.
5. Remove the cooked liver to chop. To the butter in the hot pan, add 1 small diced onion and sautee.
6. When onion is softened, return the chopped liver to the pan with the chopped neck meat and giblets (heart and kidneys).
7. When meat is heated through, add  2 cups of the reserved giblet stock you previously set aside.*
8. Turn up heat to medium. Add 1-1/2 cups milk.
9. In a measuring cup, whisk 1/2 cup milk and 5-6 tbsp. white flour till smooth.
10. Add flour mixture to the rest of the gravy mixture, whisking constantly.
11. Cook till smooth and thickened.
12. Add salt (about 1/2 tsp) and pepper to taste.
13. Turn heat down but keep gravy warm.
14. When turkey is removed from the oven, whisk 2-3 Tbsp of turkey drippings (from the roaster pan) into the gravy. This is what makes the gravy taste like turkey gravy, so don't skip this.
15. Transfer gravy to a gravy boat or bowl when ready to serve hot.

*If you do not have enough giblet stock to make 2 cups, add some boiled water to make up 2 cups, and add extra tablespoons of turkey drippings from the roaster pan. 

Remove Stuffing Now and Carve the Turkey

1. Remove turkey to a large platter, cutting board, or an old clean baking sheet (this is best because the raised sides will keep the juices and bits of stuffing from running onto your counter.)
2. This is the time when guests start buzzing around you, offering to help. Unless there are doctors present who might admire your turkey stitching, send them off to take out the dogs or fill the water glasses because at this point you need room to move around the kitchen.
3. Remove the stitches and discard pieces of skin with thread.
4. Remove the stuffing and spoon into an oven-proof casserole dish.
5. Cover stuffing with foil and keep warm in the oven at 200 degrees F. until you serve the dinner.
6. Carve turkey into boneless slices of white and dark meat and place on platters.
7. Save the big bones and the turkey carcass to to make soup broth.
8. If desired, drizzle sliced meat with some of the turkey juices from the roasting pan before covering the platter with foil to keep warm.
9. Keep sliced meat warm in the oven till the gravy is ready and and your side dishes are in bowls for serving.
10. Why not just carry the whole big turkey to the table and hand it over to your partner to serve? Carrying a turkey on a platter to the dining room to be carved looks good in the movies.The reality might be meat juices and pieces of meat splattering your new tablecloth. The dog(s) will be whining at your feet for scraps. Your partner, who has been relaxing with company having drinks all the time you have been cooking what you now think of as "the damn turkey" and is wondering out loud why you haven't put Perrier as well as white wine on the table for his brother who prefers it, will additionally annoy you by asking if you remembered to sharpen the carving knife, when the first turkey leg initially resists the blade and flies into the air when the dull blade hits a bone. 

It is simpler and less aggravating to hack at the turkey in the kitchen alone, with the knife no one thought to sharpen.

Simpler even to cook the turkey the day before and heat up the sliced meat in  big covered disposable foil pans in the oven with some turkey drippings or chicken broth drizzled over, the day of the dinner. Every year you will say you are going to do this next year.... 

Side Dish Ideas to Consider, At Least a Week before the Dinner!

• rye bread or dinner rolls and butter
• cold cooked herring in tomato sauce (silkis) which is not the same as the spicy herring in a jar you get from Ikea
• pickles, olives
• marinated bean salad (wash and drain a large tin of mixed beans, mix with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp wine vinegar, toss with 1 diced dill pickle, 1 large diced canned beet, 1 chopped hard-boiled egg or use any of the bean salad recipes)
• romaine lettuce salad with Caesar dressing and croutons (mom always made her own dressing and croutons but you can buy them)
• garden salad 
• leaf lettuce with a dressing of sour cream and green onion (the only salad Arthur liked)
• steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrot coins on a platter, drizzled lightly with a white sauce
• buttered fresh green beans and/or brussel sprouts
• mashed potatoes
• sweet potatoes
• rutabaga (what we call turnip)
• cooked grated beet mixed with a tablespoon of sour cream
• lima beans, steamed till soft then stirred into a large can of hot, drained, salted, tomatoes 
• corn niblets
• cranberry or lingonberry sauce
• sliced cucumber, celery sticks, carrot sticks

For a crowd larger than 10 serve dinner buffet style, set two tables and for 16 or more people add another main meat dish (a cooked bone-in ham, sausages steamed in a roasting pan, sliced roast beef or pork tenderloin, or cabbage rolls.

Dessert Ideas

• Christmas: If you've cooked a damn turkey you don't need to make a Baked Alaska. Serve something you can make ahead of time, like fruitcake, cookies and Candy Cane ice cream (softened vanilla ice cream mixed with crushed candy canes and milk chocolate chunks, drizzled with chocolate sauce or liqueur), trifle or the kids' favorite, red and green Jello cooled in pans, cut in squares and topped with a squirt of real whipped cream (and since it's Christmas, when they're old enough, they get to spray the cream themselves.) For Norm: Christmas pudding with custard sauce or pecan pie.
• Thanksgiving: apple and pumpkin pies with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, apple crisp, tarts (butter, lemon, cherry), or pumpkin cheesecake.

Good luck! Remember to sing while you cook.