I usually just get the cheap turkey.  The butterball and all those fancy ones are just not necessary in my case.

I start the day ahead and remove the gizzards and neck and set aside.  Next, wash the bird inside and out with water and lemon juice.  Dry thoroughly with paper towels and let it air dry further, while getting the seasonings together. 

One medium finely minced onion and 4 crushed and minced cloves of garlic, 2 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried sage, 2 tsp chervil, 2 T BBQ sauce, 2T dark soya sauce, 1 T salt, 1/2 tsp pepper.  Mix those ingredients together in a small bowl.  Take you hand and scoop the mixture little by little and rub it on the turkey, inside and out.  Don’t forget the opening at the neck, under the wings, the back etc.  until all the seasoning is used up.

Take a large piece of heavy duty foil.  Place the bird on the foil and wrap it carefully with the foil and place in the fridge to marinade all night long.

Take the gizzards and mince them finely - the smaller the better.  Take the liver and chop until it is almost a pulp.  Put aside.

Next, in a large pot or large fry pan, take a pound of hot Italian sausage, being careful to squeeze it out of it’s casing.  Over medium heat, slowly cook the sausauge, breaking it up with a potato masher or a fork while it’s cooking.  You want the rendered sausage, all broken up in fine pieces, not chunks of sausage.  Once it’s fully rendered throw in the minced gizzards and liver.  Continue cooking until they are fully cooked.  Add one finely minced onion,  4 finely minced cloves of garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp chervil, 1 tsp sage,  4 - 6 cups of diced white bread and enough home-made chicken stock to dampen the entire mixture, making sure not to make it too wet.  Stir and toss.  Taste.  Add more salt if needed. 

Turn into a plastic container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to stuff the bird the next day.

The Next Day

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Depending on the size of your turkey, you’ll have to figure out how long it must cook before the time you want to serve dinner.  When it’s close to the time, bring out the bird and the stuffing.  Scrape off loose bits of onion and garlic from the outside of the bird and throw them in a separate pot.  Don’t waste any of that delicious seasoning.  It will be used to make the gravy later.

Take handfulls of stuffing and push inside the chest cavity and neck cavity.  I always pack firmly.  Get as much of the dressing as you can, into the bird.  What’s left over will be put in a buttered casserole dish and cooked separately.

My mother used to take a thick needle and a very long piece of string, thread the needle and sew the cavity togeter.  I tend to use skewers and twine to hold the cavity together and to tie the legs. 

Tuck the wings under the bird and place in a large roasting pan.  I usually buy the disposable foil pan.  It does the job and you can throw the pan away when you’re done. 

After placing the bird in the pan, I place strips of bacon on the breast.  Cover with a large, loose aluminum foil tent, sealing on all sides and place in preheated 325 degree oven.  One hour before it is to be done, remove foil and bacon strips.  Continue cooking until internal temperature is at 175.  You do this by sticking a meat thermometer in the joint between the leg and the breast.

Keep basting.  By the time the hour or so is up, the bird will be a wonderful golden brown, much to the delight of your guests.

Lift out carefully and place on warmed serving platter.  Let it rest of about 15 minutes or so. 

Make Gravy

Meanwhile, pour the juices in the cooking pot where you tossed the rest of the seasonings.  Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of pan to get all those little bits and pieces. Use a spatula to get it all.

Simmer.  Add more home-made chicken stock because you’ll probably need lots of gravy.  OK, now take a cup of water and add about 2 T of flour and whisk with a fork.  Now whisk it into the gravy.  Keep whisking until desired thickness.  Taste it.  Does it need more salt?  If you think it’s just right, drop in a pad of butter and whisk.. Before serving, pour the gravy through a sieve to make sure all lumps or bits of seasonings are removed and the gravy is smooth.

Step No I: Making the Stock:
Pour about 8 cups of water in a Dutch Oven, and toss in the following ingredients:
12 chicken thighs, skin, bones, and all
1 large onion, cut into quarters
2 bay leaves
1 T Salt
3 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into 1 x 1/2-inch pieces – (didn’t have so used celery seed about ½ tsp.)
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 x 1/2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic – peeled
¼ tsp. Dried sage (sage is a pungent herb so use sparingly or it will overpower)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves – (didn’t have so used ½ tsp. Dried)

Bring to boil then gently simmer for about ½ hour – 1 hour. Remove chicken pieces with slotted spoon and put in a bowl. Put stock back on the burner and continue to simmer another ½ hour in order to reduce.

Once chicken pieces are cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones and chop the meat into bite-size chunks and set aside.

Once the broth has reduced, get a fresh pot and suspend a sieve over the top. The sieve should be lined with a large coffee filter – you can line it with cheesecloth but coffee filters work best. With a ladle and, one scoop at a time, pour the broth into the coffee-filter-lined sieve. This takes time, as coffee filters are quite dense. You will notice that, not only does it filter out all the bits and pieces of seasonings and such, but also the fat that would normally swim on the top. What is left is a very clear broth. Taste it. It’s delicious.

Step No. II: Making the Roux

4 T unsalted butter
4 T all-purpose flour
In a frying pan melt butter, add flour and, over medium heat, stir and cook the roux until a golden brown. Add to the broth to thicken using a whisk. Simmer over medium heat until the broth is of desired consistency. Then add: 2 T dry sherry or vermouth – or white wine, if you prefer
1 T of heavy cream (optional)
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained
¾ cup frozen corn, thawed and drained
A pinch of ground pepper

Step No. III: Making the Dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
3/4-teaspoon salt
3 Tbsp butter
1-cup milk
1/4 cup minced fresh herb leaves such as parsley, chives, and tarragon (optional). I used ½ tsp. Dry Chervil
Mix flour, baking powder, herb and salt together. Add hot milk and butter mix. Stir with a fork until cooled. Then take your hands and knead it a bit and form a ball. Take a little extra flour and flour the boar and rolling pin. Roll out the dough to about ½ inch thickness. Take any round shape – like a glass or if you have a cookie cutter, that would be good. Cut out the circles and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with Saran Wrap.

Step No. IV: The Assembly:
Take a Casserole dish and pour in the thickened broth and chicken chunks. Place in preheated 350^o oven with lid off. When it comes to a simmer, place dumplings on top and bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or so until top is golden brown.Serve with dinner rolls and a green salad

Serves 6 to 8.

Notes:
I decided to serve that at a dinner party. I didn’t feel like doing a lot of fussy cooking on the day of my party so I did all the major prepping the day before. I put the chicken pieces in a Tupperware container and placed in refrigerator. I put the finished broth in another Tupperware Container and placed in refrigerator. I put the ball of dough for the dumplings in Saran Wrap and placed inside another plastic baggie and placed in refrigerator. Then, on the day of the party, I set the table, and made the centrepiece. In the kitchen, I took out my white French Casserole dish, poured in the prepared stock and chicken chunks, stirred and put a cover on it and had it sit on the counter to return to room temperature.I then rolled out my dumpling dough and cut out with round cookie cutter and placed them on a flat cookie sheet and covered with Saran Wrap.I then applied makeup, poured a Martini, put up my feet and waited for my guests to arrive. Once they arrived, I preheated the oven to 350^o and placed the covered casserole in the oven for ½ hour. I then lifted the lid and placed the dumplings on the bubbling stew and returned for another ½ hour or so until they were lovely and golden on the top.It was so easy. I put the casserole dish on the table and dished out from there.

Entertaining can be a snap, provided you plan and prep ahead.