Picture Perfect Parties Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

Here's my favorite Thanksgiving turkey recipe because it's never too early to start planning your menu. In my cookbook, Picture Perfect Parties, I give you all the tips, tricks, and yummy recipes to make entertaining easy as can be. Pick up a copy here, Plus, it makes a perfect holiday gift; your friends and family will love it.

Turkey with Pear Walnut Crispy Bacon StuffingServes 8

You will need:For the turkey:- 20 lb. Organic Turkey- 2 teaspoons flake salt- ¼ cup olive oil- ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary- 4 cloves garlic minced- 1 lemonFor the mirepoux* mixture for the bottom of the roaster:- 1 carrot diced- 2 celery stalks dices- 1 yellow onion diced- 2 cups turkey stock (I use store bought)Preparation:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the bottom of a roasting pan, place carrots, celery, onion and stock.Put a rack into the roasting pan, and place turkey on the rack.Combine salt, oil, rosemary, and garlic, rub the entire turkey with the mixture, place whole lemon into the cavity of the turkey. Place in the oven with an aluminum foil tent on the top of the turkey and roast for 4 hours.  Baste every half hour.  Remove the tent for the last hour of baking, and bake until meat thermometer reads 150 degrees F.Pull from the oven and let rest.*Reserve the mirepoix for the gravy.

Stuffing

You will need:- 3 links of Italian sausage, out of the casing and crumbled- 5 slices of bacon- 1 yellow onion chopped- 3 cloves of garlic minced- 2 stalks of celery chopped- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves- 4 tablespoons chopped rosemary- 1 cup toasted walnut halves * toast at 350 for 3- 5 minutes until golden brown- 3 pears cored and cubed- 1 loaf of country bread cubed- 3 cups of turkey stockPreparation:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F*.Sauté sausage in a pan drain and set aside.In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until crispy, drain and set aside. Reserving about a ¼ cup of the bacon drippings in the pan, (discard the rest) sauté the onion, garlic, and celery in the bacon drippings. When translucent, add the cooked and crumbled sausage, sage, rosemary, toasted walnuts, and pears. Remove from heat. In a large bowl place the bread cubes and the turkey stock, add the mixture from the sauté pan, and crumble the bacon into the bread bowl. Combine thoroughly.Pour the stuffing into a casserole dish. Set aside until ready to bake.Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven and serve warm.*Note: place stuffing into the oven once you have pulled the fully cooked turkey from the oven, and it is resting.

 Gravy

You will need:- Mirepoix defatted- 2 cups turkey stock- 2 tablespoons corn starchPreparation:Place the mirepoix into a saucepan.  Remove any fat from the top layer of the mirepoix.  Heat and add turkey stock and warm.In a small bowl, place cornstarch. Add 3 tablespoons of the warm mixture to the cornstarch, and mix with a small spoon until a paste forms. Add the paste to the gravy mixture to thicken. Stir until reduced. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl. Serve on the side with Turkey and stuffing.Photo from Picture Perfect Parties: Photo by: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, Styling by me.