Here’s Yankee‘s no-fuss way to roast the perfect bird with all the trimmings.
Photo Credit : Keller + KellerIf you prefer to cook your cornbread-and-sausage stuffing separately, butter a casserole pan and fill it with stuffing. Cover the top with foil, and bake with the turkey 1 hour.
1 14-pound brined or kosher turkey, neck and giblets removed (reserve for gravy), rinsed well and patted dry
Cornbread-and-Sausage Stuffing (recipe below)
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place turkey on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Fill turkey with Cornbread-and-Sausage Stuffing. Tie legs together with butcher’s twine. Tent turkey breast with foil. Roast 30 minutes. Turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees and roast 1-1/2 hours. Remove foil and roast 30 minutes. Begin checking internal temperature at the thigh and cook to 165 degrees (usually about 10-20 minutes longer). Remove from oven and tent with foil. Let rest 20 minutes before carving.
4 sausages (4-inch links; turkey, sweet, or hot)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon picked fresh thyme leaves
6 cups day-old cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes (one 9×9-inch pan recipe)
1 cup turkey or chicken stock
In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, cook sausages, breaking them apart into 1/2-inch pieces as they cook. Drain and discard rendered oil and remove sausages to a plate. Wipe pan clean and heat oil or butter over medium setting. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook about 10 minutes or until softened. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add herbs, cornbread, and chicken stock. Cool to room temperature.