Preheat oven to 325 F° (160° C)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2 1/2 to 3 hours

In the United States, over 40 million turkeys are eaten each year over the November Thanksgiving weekend! The bird is usually stuffed and roasted whole, but recipes differ among regions. On the east coast, oyster stuffing is traditional, a throwback to colonial days when these molluscs were a cheap and plentiful staple of the daily diet.

Stuffing can be prepared 1 day in advance, covered and chilled.

To prevent bacterial growth, never stuff the turkey cavity in advance.

 

Stuffing

1. In 2 shallow baking pans or jelly-roll pans, arrange bread cubes in one layer. Bake in a preheated 325 F. (160°C.) oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over low heat, stirring as needed, until crisp.
3. Remove bacon from pan and add garlic, onion, celery, sage and thyme. Cook until vegetables are soft. Add to bread mixture.
4. Stir in parsley, melted butter, oysters, bacon, salt and pepper. Lightly toss stuffing, mixing well. Allow stuffing to cool.

Turkey

1. Rinse turkey, pat dry and season inside and out with salt and pepper.
2. Loosely pack neck cavity with some of the stuffing, fold neck skin under body and fasten it with a skewer.
3. Loosely pack body cavity with some of the remaining stuffing. Truss the bird. Transfer remaining stuffing to a buttered 3-quart baking dish and reserve, covered and chilled.
4. Coat the exterior of the turkey with 1/4 cup butter.
5. Roast turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan in a preheated 425 degree F. oven for 30 minutes. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
6. Saturate a large piece of cheesecloth with remaining 1/2 cup melted butter. Baste turkey with pan juices and drape breast with butter ladened cheesecloth.
7. Baste turkey every 20 minutes and continue to roast for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until the internal temperature measures 170 degrees F. in the breast and 180 degrees F. in the thigh.
8. Meanwhile, during the last 1-1/2 hours of roasting, drizzle the reserved stuffing with stock, cover and bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour. Remove cover and continue to bake for an additional 1/2 hour.
9. Discard cheesecloth and string from turkey. Transfer turkey to a heated platter, reserving juices in the pan. Loosely cover turkey with foil and keep warm.

Gravy

1. Skim all fat from the pan juices, reserving 1/3 cup fat.
2. Add wine to pan. Deglaze pan over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Boil until the mixture is reduced by half.
3. In a saucepan, combine the reserved fat and flour. Cook the roux over moderately low heat, whisking for 3 minutes.
4. Whisk in stock and wine mixture. Continue to cook until gravy simmers. Simmer an additional 10 minutes.
5. Add reserved cooked and chopped giblets and neck meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Heat until gravy returns to a simmer and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer to a heated sauceboat.
7. Garnish turkey with parsley and thyme sprigs.