Ingredients
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1 cup chopped celery
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1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
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1/2 cup chopped onion
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1/3 cup butter
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1 teaspoon ground sage
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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1/8 teaspoon salt
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1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth or 1/2-3/4 cup water
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10 -12 lbs turkey
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cooking oil
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8 cups dry bread, cubes (I will tell you how to make these at the end of the cooking directions)
Instructions
- For stuffing, in a medium saucepan cook celery, mushrooms, and onion in butter until tender but not brown, remove from heat.
- Stir in sage, pepper, and salt.
- Place dry bread cubes in a large mixing bowl, add onion mixture.
- Drizzle with enough broth or water to moisten, tossing lightly.
- Season body cavity of turkey with salt.
- Spoon some stuffing LOOSELY into the neck cavity.
- Pull the neck skin to the back, fasten with a skewer.
- LIGHTLY spoon more stuffing into the body cavity (place any remaining stuffing into a casserole, cover and chill. Dot with butter and bake alongside turkey for 35-45 minutes or until heated through).
- Tuck the ends of the drumsticks under the band of skin across the tail.
- If the band of skin is not present, tie the drumsticks securely to the tail.
- Twist wing tips under the back.
- Place turkey, breast side DOWN, on a rack in a shallow roastng pan.
- Brush with oil.
- Cover turkey loosely with foil.
- Roast turkey in a 325 degree oven for 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer placed into the center of a thigh (but not touching the bone) reads 180 degrees. Make sure center of stuffing reads 165 degrees.
- After about 1 1/2 hours, turn the turkey over so that it is breast side up.
- Brush breast side with oil.
- After 2 1/2 hours, cut loose drumsticks so that thighs will cook evenly.
- When done, drumsticks should move very easliy in their sockets and their thickest parts should feel soft when pressed.
- Uncover the last 30 minutes of roasting.
- To make dry bread cubes: cut bread into 1/2 inch squares.
- (12-14 slices of bread for 8 cups cubes) Place in a brown paper bag and close loosely.
- Let stand 3-4 days, mixing up by hand each day until thoroughly dry.
- OR, spread bread cubes onto a large cookie sheet in a single layer and bake at 300 degrees 10-15 minutes or until dry, stirring twice.
- Cool.
- I highly recommend using homemade white bread (by hand or bread machine) for the bread cubes.
- You will be AMAZED at the difference in texture!