Thanksgiving Tips from Parker Bosley

Make turkey stock a day early

The day before you roast the turkey, use the neck and the first two wing joints to make a stock.  Chop the wing joints and the neck into one inch pieces.  Brown these in some butter with chopped onion, celery and carrot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.   Skim the stock. Add some thyme and a bay leaf.   Lower the heat and simmer for several hours.   Strain, cool and refrigerate overnight.   Use the stock when making the stuffing or add it to the gravy.

Make a good stuffing using turkey stock

Make sure to use good bread! Most commercial breads don’t have the structure to become good stuffing. Heavier breads are
easier to work with.

Dice onion and celery. Soften them in butter with dried sage over medium heat. You don’t want to evaporate the butter.

Next, tear your bread into approximately ½ inch cubes. Then, either toast the bread on a cookie sheet in the oven or toss the bread in the skillet with the onion and celery to partially cook.  Remove and transfer to a mixing bowl. You may add salt, pepper, and other herbs, particularly parsley and thyme, as you prefer.

Moisten the stuffing with the turkey stock.  You may also add an egg or two to help hold it together.  One egg per loaf of bread is generally good.  Work the bread with your hands, adding stock as needed to moisten the stuffing.  It is really a matter of preference.  You may have a soupy stuffing if you like it very moist as a final product; or a dry stuffing to get a crispy final product.
For an interesting, add partially cooked sausage and apples of toasted walnuts.