“Feliz Navidad” Turkey with Onion Sage Stuffing, Homemade Pan Gravy & Cranberry Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and fry onions, stirring occasionally, until toffee brown. Add butter, celery, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until celery is soft. In large bowl, toss together bread cubes, sage, marjoram, thyme and nutmeg. Add onion mixture and toss well. Add stock, toss to combine and your stuffing is ready! Yes, as simple as that!

Place the stuffing into the cavity of the turkey, if need be, use kitchen string to loosely tie the turkey closed. Place remaining stuffing in a casserole dish (you can never have too much stuffing)!

Chop vegetables into large pieces and place in a large roasting pan. Mirepoix is an aromatic vegetable mixture (2 parts onion/1 part celery/1 part carrots), used as a flavour enhancer for gravy and sauces.

Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to the bottom of the pan with the vegetable mirepoix. Coat the turkey with melted butter and lay atop the mirepoix. Cover with foil and roast the turkey at 350 degrees for 2 to 2-1/2 hours 120 Minutes until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey reads 165 F. Baste once or twice during roasting with pan drippings. For the last 30 minutes 30 Minutes of the turkey roasting time, uncover and bake until golden and crisp. If your turkey isn’t done, brush with the remaining butter and return to the oven for about 10 minutes 10 Minutes. Test the turkey again. Once cooked, loosely tent with foil, tearing a small hole in the top to allow steam to escape. Remove the turkey from roasting pan and let it rest for 10 minutes 10 Minutes before carving.

To make the gravy, remove large pieces of the vegetable mirepoix. Build a roux right in your roasting pan by adding flour to the drippings (do this over 2 stove burners, on medium heat) and scraping up all the brown goodness from the pan (fond).

As the roux cooks, it will turn from a light tan colour to a nice rich brown. This will take about 5 minutes 5 Minutes, but the end result is well worth it. Slowly add your stock/water, about 1/3 at a time, and stir constantly. Stir and continue to add the stock until smooth and cook until your gravy is ready. Strain out vegetables for a super-smooth gravy, season with salt/pepper to taste and skim off any fat. The gravy will continue to thicken after you turn off the heat. If you like a thinner gravy you may want to add up to one additional cup of stock. Good luck talking turkey!

Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries and spices, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst. Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. Tip: Can be prepared 1 week ahead.