When it comes to holiday family traditions, we all have our signature dishes we make. Most of the recipes have been passed down from my grandmother but some have mastered the recipes better than others. My Grandmother’s Easy Turkey and Stuffing Recipe was definitely the easiest and the best!
My grandmother’s food was always full of flavor and the way she whizzed around the kitchen, it looked like it didn’t take much effort. This is a mirage for most of her recipes but her turkey and stuffing recipes are the easiest recipes you’ll ever use.
Let’s start with the turkey. I hear how afraid people are of cooking a turkey but truth be told, this is one of the easiest meals you’ll ever cook.
Turkey Recipe
Buy a fresh turkey if you can and if it’s frozen, plan on thawing it for days depending on its size. Take out the bag from the cavity (set aside) and there is usually a neck in the other end. I also rinse out the turkey before placing it in the turkey pan. Pour salt in your hand and rub it inside on the top of the cavity. Any extra salt that stuck to my hands, I will massage the turkey outside and basically wipe the excess salt onto the turkey. Pour water in the bottom of the baking dish just to coat the pan. The turkey itself will make a ton of juice. You’ll be watching the liquid level as you baste, if you see it getting low, add water. You’ll be using this later for your gravy. Cut a stick of butter into pats. Grab a toothpick, stick it through the butter pats and stick them all over the turkey (don’t forget the legs. Tip* I slice through the skin in two spots on the breast just large enough to place a butter pat in.
I also don’t suggest stuffing the turkey and cooking it. It takes longer to cook and you’ll still get the juices of the turkey later for your stuffing.
Cook the turkey 14 minutes per pound at 350 degrees (unstuffed). I baste about once every 30-45 minutes and I sometimes add additional butter. The last 30 minutes I take the cover off to crisp up the skin. Tip * If the legs are already crispy, cover them with tin foil so they don’t burn.
Stuffing Recipe
Giblet Bag
Turkey Neck
1/4 C. Chicken broth
1/2 lb butter
8 tbsp finely chopped onion
8 tbsp finely chopped celery
8 C. breadcrumbs OR a Bag of stuffing mix (croutons)
1 tsp thyme, crumbled
1 tsp basil, crumbled
1/2 tsp marjoram, crumbled
1/4 tsp pepper
Salt to taste
*Optional – 1 lb of sausage, fried and diced up
Remember the bag and neck you placed aside. No worries you are not eating any of it. Take it all and put it in a small saucepan, fill it with at least 4 cups of water, bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down, cover and let boil for about 10 minutes. Strain out all the giblets, liver, and neck. If you see a brown foam, you can strain that out too.
Melt the butter in a skillet and stir in the celery and onion. Cook over low heat until the onion is soft. Add this to the crumbs or croutons, add spices. Stir well. Add the 1/4 cup chicken broth, stir well, slowly add turkey broth until you have the consistency of stuffing you like. NOTE * You will have extra turkey broth, save this for later when you’re making the gravy in case you need more broth.
