Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings is a meal which features a roast turkey accompanied by numerous side dishes and condiments. This menu is the favorite for not just American Thanksgiving, but Christmas feasts, as well.
Stuffed Turkey: Stuffing or dressing comprised of starchy, soft fill for the cavity of the bird. Made of bread cubes or rice cooked inside or outside the turkey. It often has minced vegetables, herbs, added. It can also have fruit or another food such as oysters or chestnuts.
Sauces: Cranberry sauce or relish is traditional. A gravy, often made from meat juices is made for moistening the meat slices, potato side dish, or the dressing (aka stuffing)
Vegetables: Potatoes which are usually mashed, but may be roasted, carrots, Brussels sprouts, or roasted root vegetable mix. Sweet potatoes are popular, roasted or mashed. Corn, often in a pudding or soufflé is popular.
Other breads: yeast rolls, cornbread may be offered
Desserts: Pies (pumpkin, apple) are most common
Giblets:Organ meats like the neck, liver, heart, and gizzard, are often used to make stock for gravy. The heart and gizzard can be chopped and added to the stuffing.
Make Your Own Turkey and Trimmings Feast
For a traditional menu of this holiday meal (most often served on Thanksgiving Day), go to the page, Turkey and the trimmings.
That page has the recipes as well as complete how-to instructions for roasting the bird.
Enjoy Watching The British Trying Out a Typical Menu
About Me: A big Thanksgiving meal was a family tradition for me. Growing up, it was at Grandma’s house; raising my family, I loved cooking the turkey and all our favorite trimmings. Enjoy my recipes and tips for your own Thanksgiving feast.
Make a Traditional Stuffed Roast Turkey With All The Trimmings
A finely roasted turkey
You may love ham, or roast chicken, or goose for your holiday dinner, but there is something wonderful and satisfying about the traditional Roast Turkey Dinner that makes it a favorite and traditional repast for the winter holidays.
For one thing, a whole roasted turkey can feed a crowd, and for another it is versatile in how it is served.
But it is not just about the meat… the entire meal is full of comfort and good memories, it is what we like to call “the trimmings”. For some that is cornbread, either as a bread or making the dressing. The stuffing, or dressing is all important.
There might be a side of cranberries in some way. I like relish, for some it is a jelly, for others cranberries might be included some other ingenious way. And Pies, plural! Pumpkin, Apple, and others traditionally round out a calorie packed meal.
Sample Menu
The Roast Turkey
Stuffing (usually bread stuffing)
Turkey gravy
Sweet Potatoes
Corn (often a corn pudding or creamed corn)
Green beans
Cranberry dish (relish, sauce or jelly)
Bread rolls
Pumpkin and/or apple pie
This page has recipes for several of these dishes (those underlined).
Other popular choices for sides may include:
Creamed spinach
Mashed white potatoes
Green salad
Roasted or fresh carrots
Butternut squash soup
Baked ham (alternate or additional entreé)
The Best Turkey Roasting Gear
The best thing in many of American minds might be the many ways we use the leftovers from our Thanksgiving feast. Enjoy! Or as the French may say “bon appetit“.
A covered roaster pan is usual for cooking the turkey, while a meat thermometer is very useful to make sure the turkey is done. A baster to bather the turkey in juices.
I hope you will love the tips and my family recipes for your own great holiday roast turkey meal.
The main thing for a moist turkey is to roast slowly and keep those juice sealed in.
Covered pans, injected marinade or butter, roasting bags, all are ways to serve that one single purpose.
The most important thing is to cook thoroughly, and that is why a thermometer is handy.
Turkey Tips
How to Keep it Moist, 7 Steps Keep it Flavorful
remove the neck and giblets* from the inside of the turkey!
baste the roasting turkey often
make small slices in the skin and insert butter
rub the entire carcass with oil or butter
salt the inner carcass before stuffing
insert the stuffing loosely, but fill the inside, don’t forget the flap under the tail
tent the turkey with foil or cover roaster with a lid
*Giblets may be used for the stuffing; the neck and giblets can also be used to make stock for the gravy.
What is Basting?
Using broth or meat juices to bathe the cooking roast. A baster or pastry brush is used to distribute the liquids over the meat.
How do you brine a turkey?
Mix brine made of stock, salt, sugar, and desired flavorings. Use turkey size oven roasting bag, place turkey and brine inside, and marinate in the refrigerator. Rinse, pat dry, and roast on cooking day. Full directions,recipe, and illustrations, here.
What is Poultry Seasoning?
A combination of ground spices that enhance poultry dishes, usually sage, rosemary, thyme, pepper, and some other spices.
You can buy it in a jar, or you can make your own, or buy it from Amazon. Almost every grocery sells it with the other spices. Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends Poultry Magic
Thawing Time
Time Required to Thaw a Turkey Inside a Refrigerator
8 to 12 lbs. …. 2 to 3 Days
13 to 16 lbs. …. 3 to 4 Days
17 to 20 lbs. …. 4 to 5 Days
21 to 24 lbs. …. 5 to 6 Days
Cooking Times
Weight of Bird
Roasting Time (Unstuffed)
Roasting Time (Stuffed)
10 to 18 pounds
3 to 3-1/2 hours
3-3/4 to 4-1/2 hours
18 to 22 pounds
3-1/2 to 4 hours
4-1/2 to 5 hours
22 to 24 pounds
4 to 4-1/2 hours
5 to 5-1/2 hours
24 to 29 pounds
4-1/2 to 5 hours
5-1/2 to 6-1/4 hours
Use a cooking thermometer for best results
Buy a USDA-approved Grade-A turkey. Young turkeys, from 4 to 7 months old, are most tender..
My poultry choices are bolded, but you may want to choose one of the other modes of dressed poultry.
Choices for turkeys to roast are:
fresh or frozen
basted or un-basted
organic, natural, free-range, minimally processed, or kosher
un-stuffed or pre-stuffed
tom turkey or hen turkey
When feeding a large group (like when everyone and extra guests come to my house) I purchase a large Tom turkey.
Today I usually buy a hen turkey of about 12-14 pounds.
salt and pepperto rub inside and outside the turkey
2tsppoultry seasoning
Method
Thaw turkey if necessary.
Rinse, inside and out, and then pat dry. salt inside and rub out side with salt.
Gently separate the skin from the meat in several places on the breast and towards the back (tailend) of the turkey and along the legs. Insert butter or oil. Try to not tear skin. I cut very small slits in the skin and insert lumps of butter; some people rub melted butter or oil under the loosened skin.
Rub outside of bird with poultry spices and salt and pepper.
Fill with stuffing.
Put turkey uncovered in a hot ,475 ° F, oven for about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 300-325 ° F, add broth to the turkey and pan.Then baste, and cover the turkey for its long roast. Baste often by lifting cover and using baster to squeeze the cooking juices over the roasting turkey
Roast for number of hours recommended for your size turkey and whether or not it has stuffing.
When skin is crisp and brown, and turkey meat thoroughly cooked (only thermometer can be precisely accurate, but if the leg is loose when wiggled that plus time cooked at the proper temperature can be indications)
Cooking without stuffing may mean you can use lower temperatures and shorter cooking times.
Notes
Stuffing, basting, and covering are all ways to completely cook and keep meat moist at the same time. Brine marinating is also one method for keeping the meat moist. Many cooks rely on a meat thermometer to insure the turkey is fully cooked.
Keep Your Turkey Moist
Whether you brine or baste, tent, or wrap in parchment, the point is to keep the turkey meat moist.
Turkey Dressing - Stuff the Turkey
There are a myriad of recipes for the many ways to stuff a roast turkey. This is the basic recipe I like. I use commercially packaged bread cubes, sometimes crumbs. Use crumbs if you want the bread and vegetables to mix in a softer dressing, and cubes if you wish for the bread to be more evident. Some people make their own bread cubes from stale bread. Use a loaf or two of bread and tear into bitesize pieces or cube to the desired size. I like to mix in whole wheat bread crumbs.
1 to 2packagesbread stuffing -enough for the size bird you are roasting
2tsppoultry seasoning
salt and papper
chicken broth
2hardboiled eggs-chopped
2T.fresh parsleychopped
optional chopped pecans
3 carrotschopped fine
3 ribs of celerychopped fine
1 large onionchopped fine
1stick buttermelted
Method
Instructions
In a very large mixing bowl, add bread cubes, and all chopped vegetables, plus any added optional ingredients like the nuts or chopped fruits, like apple or apricot, etc.
Add moistening ingredients: broth and melted butter and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate if not immediately cooking.
Right before stuffing turkey or cooking, add chopped eggs, any additions like sausage or oysters, etc.
Cook in oven or stovestop and keep warm or refrigerate any leftover dressing promptly. It should be kept hot or cold, never room temperature.
Notes
The turkey should not be overstuffed, since dressing expands. Leftover prepared dressing can be baked in an oven proof dish or cooked on the stove top.
Seared Green Beans
My favorite way to serve green beans is to get fancy whole beans in the frozen section, cook them until just done (never overcook!), then douse them with a good Italian flavored dressing like Wishbone or House Italian. Sprinkle with blanched almonds if you want a bit of window dressing.
For those who wish something more je ne sais pas, try this recipe from the folks at NPR.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil (peanut oil may be used)
1 pound trimmed whole green beans
Salt
1 tablespoon minced or crushed garlic
Red pepper flakes
Instructions
Place a large, deep skillet or wok over medium heat. After about two minutes, add the oil, and swirl to coat the pan.
Turn the heat to high, and wait another 30 seconds or so, then add the green beans and a big pinch of salt.
Cook over high heat, shaking the pan and/or using tongs to turn and move the beans so they cook quickly and evenly.
After about 3 minutes, take a taste test and see if the beans are done to your liking. They should be relatively crunchy, but you get to decide. If you like them cooked a little more, keep going until they’re your kind of tender.
Sprinkle in the garlic and some red pepper flakes, and cook for just a minute longer. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Sweet Potato Casserole
One large sweet potato per person, it is easy to increase or decrease this recipe. The rest of the ingredients are approximate to produce a moist mashed potato that is baked in the oven or can be cooked on the stovetop. Can be made ahead and then warmed for the meal.
First bake your sweet potatoes and then remove their jackets.
Add butter to hot potatoes and it will melt as you mash them slightly.
Add the milk, orange juice concentrate, and salt to taste (try 1â„2 tsp. sea salt)
Mash together and turn into baking dish (or large dutch oven for stovetop). Cook until flavors meld and heated through. 15 to 20 minutes.
Top with marshmallows, if desired. In very hot oven or under broiler, melt and toast marshmallow topping. Serve.
Fresh Cranberry Relish
My preference is for a tart relish, with only enough additional sugar to make it palatable. Sweet apples and orange will help offset the cranberry tartness. Adjust additional sugar to taste, but keep the relish tart for best taste with the turkey. - Traditional Turkey Trimming Side Dish
3 -4Seedless Navel oranges or oranges with seeds removed
handfuloptional coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 to 3/4cupgranulated sugar to taste (approximately)
Method
Instructions
Pick over cranberries discarding bruised or old berries.
Cut up washed apples to size for sending through meat grinder. Peel and section oranges.
Using meat grinder ( my preference) or food processor with coarse attachment, mince the cranberries, apples and oranges and combine in large bowl.
Add sugar to taste, add optional walnuts.
Cover with Saran wrap and refrigerate until serving.
Serve in a glass bowl to show off the beautiful color. Served with the turkey and dressing entree.
Additional Trimmings for the Menu – Sides for a Roast Turkey
Maybe you like these, or they might be something I always include- more ideas to create a scrumptious Thanksgiving menu.
Homemade Pumpkin Dessert - Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Walnut Streusel
I admit to cheating on the pie. I get frozen pies and bake those for our Thanksgiving. I save my totally homemade from scratch efforts for Christmas. But if you wish to make your own pumpkin pie from scratch this is a good recipe to use. Delicious! A 'Taste of Home' recipe that won't go wrong.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, orange peel and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg. Gradually add cream, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until easy to handle
On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a 13-in. circle. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 11-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom.
In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Pour into crust. For topping, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts and ginger. Sprinkle over filling
Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.
The Side Menu Options
Choose one or more…
I enjoy a simple (ok,slightly dressed up) Green Salad
Corn bread muffins
Corn Pudding
White potatoes, usually mashed. Some people can’t imagine their meal without them.
Wild rice and mushrooms goes great with the roast turkey. Can be substituted for bread stuffing.
How To Roast A Thanksgiving Turkey – Easy directions for great results
Utensils You May Need
Use Thermometer Gauges, and a Baster
Roasted meats should be cooked thoroughly. This is important for health reasons, keeping the meat moist and not overcooked, for taste and enjoyment.
Large baster helps keep your roast meat moist. Handy cleaning tools to make sure it is ready for the next use.
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