Roast Turkey with Corn Bread Stuffing

Description

 * Makes approximately 3 quarts, or 12 cups of stuffing

Ingredients

 * ¼ lbs butter
 * 1 turkey, fresh (12 – 16 lbs)
 * ½ lbs salt pork, thinly sliced

Corn bread stuffing

 * 2 pack corn bread mix (10 oz)
 * ½ cup celery, chopped
 * 1 onion, medium, minced
 * ½ cup butter
 * 2 egg yolks
 * salt
 * pepper

Turkey stock

 * turkey giblets + neck and wings
 * 3 cups water
 * ½ onion, small, sliced
 * ½ garlic clove
 * ½ bay leaf
 * ⅛ tsp basil, crumbled
 * ⅛ tsp rosemary, crumbled
 * ⅛ tsp thyme, crumbled
 * ⅛ tsp salt

Turkey giblet gravy

 * ¼ cup pan drippings
 * ¼ cup flour
 * 1 cup water
 * 2 cups turkey stock
 * turkey giblets, cooked, chopped
 * salt
 * pepper

Directions

 * 1) Preheat oven to 425°F.
 * 2) Cut butter into very thin slices; place in freezer to harden while you prepare bird.
 * 3) Wash turkey inside and out.
 * 4) Remove and reserve neck, giblets and wing tips.
 * 5) Pat dry with paper toweling.
 * 6) Starting at the breast, separate the skin from the meat by working your fingers between them.
 * 7) Slice your hand under skin as far as you can go and gently free the skin on both sides of the breast.
 * 8) Loosen it around the upper part of the legs, stopping about halfway down the legs.
 * 9) Insert slices of the cold butter, first under the leg skin, then under the breast skin.
 * 10) Reshape the loosened skin on the bird by patting it gently back in place. It will sag a bit but don"t let that upset you; it will cook back in place.
 * 11) Wrap bird loosely in waxed paper and refrigerate while preparing stuffing.
 * 12) Fill cavity of turkey loosely with stuffing.
 * 13) Fasten neck skin of turkey to body with skewer.
 * 14) Push legs under band of skin at tail or tie to tail.
 * 15) Place slices of salt pork over breast and fasten with wooden picks.
 * 16) Place turkey on its side on rack in shallow open roasting pan.
 * 17) Cook for 15 minutes, then turn bird on other side and roast for 15 minutes longer.
 * 18) Lower temperature to 325°F.
 * 19) And continue to roast turkey, turning the bird from side to side and basting often with the drippings from pan, for about 3½ to 4 hours, or until juices run yellow - no longer pink - when thigh is pierced with a fork.
 * 20) Roast turkey breast side up for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
 * 21) Transfer turkey to serving platter and let rest 30 minutes before carving.
 * 22) Reserve all drippings in pan for gravy.

Corn bread stuffing

 * 1) Prepare corn bread, following label directions, or use your own favorite recipe. Cool.
 * 2) Crumble enough to make 7 cups and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
 * 3) Sauté celery and onion in butter in a large skillet until soft.
 * 4) Spoon vegetables and butter over corn bread crumbs.
 * 5) Beat egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl; stir in stock and pour mixture over corn bread.
 * 6) Stir lightly to blend.
 * 7) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Turkey stock

 * 1) Combine giblets, neck, and wing tips with water in a large saucepan; add remaining ingredients.
 * 2) Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until liver is tender.
 * 3) Remove liver and continue to simmer mixture for about 1 hour, or until remaining giblets are tender.
 * 4) Strain mixture; remove and chop giblets and liver for gravy.
 * 5) Reserve stock.

Turkey giblet gravy

 * 1) Pour off all turkey fat from roasting pan into a glass measuring cup.
 * 2) Measure and return ¼ cup to pan.
 * 3) Sprinkle flour into fat; cook and stir 2 or 3 minutes over low heat.
 * 4) Add water and 2 cups of the reserved turkey stock.
 * 5) Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits in pan with wooden spoon, until gravy thickens and bubbles 2 minutes.
 * 6) Strain gravy into saucepan; add chopped giblets and reserved liver.
 * 7) Taste; season with salt and pepper if needed.