Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Pan Gravy and Stuffing

Associate Publisher Ellen Bode introduces a series of Holiday recipes and cooking tips from local residents we’ll be featuring in the next few issues. "The Thanksgiving and Christmas season, as with most people, has always been a favorite for me,” she says. "Of course, these holidays wouldn’t be complete without a turkey. My husband loves this recipe I’ve done for years but the biggest fan of turkey season at our house is Bella, our Golden Retriever. GRR, the Golden Retriever rescue group in Austin, brought us together a couple of days before Christmas last year. So, she was just in time to wolf down her portion of the Christmas Turkey.”

I prefer a fresh turkey weighing between 18-22 pounds. But even fresh turkeys may freeze a little in your grocer’s case, so make sure yours is well thawed before cooking.

First, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.

Rinse turkey inside out and remove giblets. Dry with paper towel and place on oven rack in roasting pan.

I start with Pepperidge Farms Herb Cubes.

Follow directions according to bag, using chicken broth instead of water.

In a pan, melt butter according to directions but adding extra two tablespoons. Then add one apple. Slice thin and chop. Also, add two or three stalks of chopped celery with twp pinches of rosemary.

Cook about three minutes on medium heat or until apples & celery are soft. Add to your bowl of stuffing and sprinkle in 1/2 a teaspoon of Sea Salt. Put stuffing into turkey's cavity. Tie legs together. I also wrap a string around the turkey to keep the wings against the bird.

In a pan over medium heat combine a stick of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of chopped Rosemary and cook until butter is melted. Brush all over Turkey & pour what’s left into bottom of pan along with a cup of water.

Cover Turkey with tin foil -- but not too tightly, or skin can come off.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 4 hours and then remove the tin foil covering. Baste your Turkey well and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Baste Turkey every 20 or 25 min. until it is a nice golden brown. This should take about another hour or so. When the thigh is punctured with a fork, the juices should run clear. Legs should want to come off easy and your thermometer should be at 165 degrees F.

Place your turkey on a platter and let sit for 15 minutes before carving.

~Ellen Bode

Ellen's Tip: To keep your leftover turkey moist, use this restaurant trick. Run cold water over a dish towel and then wring out excess water. Wrap the towel over the bird before storing it in your refrigerator.

Pan Gravy

You can strain your turkey drippings from the pan, but Ijust use a spoon to remove anything I don't want in my gravy. Fill a coffee mug with hot water or microwave for one minute then spoon into it three heaping tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

Stir the flour with a fork until it dissolves into the water. If your turkey pan is stove-top safe, just put it with the drippings on top of your stove. If not, you’ll need to transfer the drippings into a stove top safe container. Use a low heat to warm everything up. Now add your mug of flour water, using a whisk to blend the mixture. After three minutes, add more water or flour slowly until you have the desired thickness. Do not add too much of the flour water as it will thicken as you keep stirring! Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!