ROAST TURKEY AND CORNBREAD STUFFING
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 large yellow onion (chopped)
5 cups crumbled corn bread
5 cups toasted fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
1 large egg (lightly beaten)
1 fresh or frozen and thawed turkey (12 pounds)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Introduction: Old-fashioned cooks sometimes added eggs and baking powder to their corn bread stuffing to give it a fluffier texture. The stuffing in this recipe is a delicious example.Makes 12 servings. Preparation time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 6 minutes. Roasting time: 3 hours. Standing time: 15 minutes.
Step 1: In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat. In a very large bowl, combine the corn bread, bread crumbs, baking powder, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Stir in the onion mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together broth and egg. Stir into the corn bread mixture. Toss to coat well.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 325°. Rinse turkey, drain and pat dry. Remove neck and giblets; set aside to make the Giblet Gravy. Stuff and truss turkey. Place, breast-side-up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Brush with oil. Insert roasting thermometer in turkey thigh without touching bone. Spoon remaining stuffing into a lightly greased 2-quart casserole; cover and refrigerate.
Step 3: Roast turkey for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until thermometer registers 180°, basting often and covering with foil to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Bake the covered casserole of stuffing alongside turkey during the last 30 minutes of roasting, adding an additional 2 to 3 tablespoons chicken broth if stuffing is dry. Let turkey stand for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
Step 4: Meanwhile, cook neck and giblets for giblet gravy. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pan drippings from roast turkey for giblet gravy. Prepare gravy. Carve turkey, discarding skin. Serve turkey and dressing with gravy.