Catholic Recipe: Stuffed Turkey II

Another job which requires the help of at least two or three children is the preparation of the Christmas turkey. Turkey is typically American, but wherever Christmas is celebrated men use their finest meat for the feast. It might be roast lamb in Greece or roast goose in England. The kind is not so important as the quality. In our house, turkey it is, and always shall be — world without end.

We have tried many recipes for dressing — those with corn bread or oysters or chestnuts, but we always return like prodigals to the one my grandmother used. We like whole wheat bread for dressing because it eliminates that pasty whiteness which you sometimes see. The turkey is stuffed the day before Christmas so that the blend of the herbs in the dressing can permeate the meat and bread. This system also frees the cook on the festival day.

DIRECTIONS

Break the bread. Mix in milk and eggs. Fry onions in butter. Add onions, celery, sage and raisins to the dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the salted turkey. Roast uncovered in hot oven (400°) for 30 minutes.

Baste with butter and dust with flour. Lower heat to 325 degrees F. Baste three or four times during the roasting period. At the last basting, sprinkle rosemary over the turkey. Cover after the bird is well browned. A 10 pound turkey will take about three hours.