Delicious Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage, Smoked Bacon, and Cornbread Stuffing – a Thanksgiving staple!

It’s Thanksgiving time – one of our favorite times of the year! Spending time together with family, enjoying the flavors of the autumn season and lingering over a delicious meal. What’s not to love about it? As you plan for your gathering with family and friends, we wanted to share a recipe sent to us by Paris Perfect Blog contributor Mary Ann Grisham for Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage, Smoked Bacon & Cornbread Stuffing. It’s a lovely recipe that combines so many classic American flavors—maple syrup, sage, smoked bacon and cornbread—that remind us of Thanksgiving time in America. Perhaps it will become one of your regular Thanksgiving recipes, too!

Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage, Smoked Bacon & Cornbread Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 bunch fresh sage, leaves finely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 loaf cornbread, cubed (about 6 cups)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 (12 to 14 pound) fresh turkey
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 8 strips smoked bacon
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 4-6 cups chicken stock (some will be used in the pan during cooking and the remainder for making gravy

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the top rack.
2. Combine the butter and sage in a mixing bowl, mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated and the butter has flecks of green in it; season with salt and pepper.
3. In a sauté pan, melt 4 tablespoons of the sage butter, add the onions, cook and stir for 15 minutes until soft and golden. Remove from heat. Put the cornbread in a large mixing bowl and scrape the sautéed onion mixture on top. Add the egg, heavy cream and just enough chicken stock to moisten the stuffing without making it soggy (about 1/2 cup.) Toss well to combine, season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove the neck and gizzards from the inside of the turkey and discard. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, pat dry. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and legs, and slip pieces of the sage butter underneath; massaging it in as you go.
5. I cook my stuffing in a separate dish; keeping the inside of the turkey empty has it cook faster but that’s just personal preference, if you like to stuff the cavity you’ll probably have enough to fill a small buttered casserole dish as well.
6. Truss the turkey; place it on a rack in a large roasting pan, pour 2-3 cups of chicken stock into bottom of roaster and put into the oven (replenish as needed to keep liquid in bottom of pan to keep the combination of maple and bacon drippings from burning; I think the steam heat is another benefit to keeping the bird moist!).
7. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and hot water to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes. The turkey should take about 3 hours to cook (i.e. 15 to 20 minutes per pound.) If the legs or breast brown too quickly, cover with foil. About 2 hours into cooking, shingle the strips of bacon oven the turkey breast to cover; continue to roast and baste for another hour or so.
8. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F (the thigh juices will also run clear when pricked with a knife.) Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices can settle back into the meat.
9. Skim off the excess fat from the pan drippings with a spoon and place the roasting pan over 2 burners set on medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. Whisk the flour into the drippings, stirring as it thickens to prevent lumps. Add enough chicken stock for a gravy consistency and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and hit it with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes and then strain if desired to remove any particles (I don’t do this…I’ll hit it with a stick blender to smooth, much easier and less messy!).
10. Serve the gravy with the maple-roasted turkey and cornbread stuffing.

Wishing all of our readers a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving!

Recipe from Creative Culinary and photo by Mary Ann Grisham.