Roast Turkey with Smoky Bacon, Onion and Sage Dressing
Butter-basted roast turkey served with pan gravy and flavourful dressing you can prepare in advance and bake while the turkey is resting after cooking.
Recipe - Quality Foods
Roast Turkey with Smoky Bacon, Onion and Sage Dressing
Prep Time30 Minutes
Servings8
Cook Time210 Minutes
0Ingredients
11 slices Quality Foods Okanagan white or whole wheat bread, cubed (see Note)
1/4 cup butter, melted, plus some soft butter for greasing
4 strips bacon, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup finely diced onion
3/4 cup finely diced celery
2 tsp dried sage leaves, or 1 tsp dried ground sage
2 Tbsp chopped freshly parsley
5 cups chicken or turkey stock (divided)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (12 to 14 lb/5.5 to 6.3kg) turkey
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
- To make dressing, place bread in a bowl. Grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with soft butter. Place bacon in a large skillet set over medium, medium-high heat and cook until crispy. Drain fat from bacon. Set skillet back over the heat. Add the onion, celery and sage and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon bacon mixture over the bread and add 1 1/2 cups of stock, parsley and salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon dressing into the baking dish, cover and refrigerate until needed. It can be made a few hours in advance.
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Remove neck and any innards from the turkey. Place turkey and the neck in a large, shallow roasting pan. (Discard any innards, unless you want to cook them separately.) Tie turkey legs together; fold and tuck wings under the body. Brush turkey with the melted butter; season turkey salt and pepper. Roast turkey, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours. Give pan a 180-degree turn. Roast turkey another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Insert an instant-read meat thermometer deep into an inner thigh of the turkey, not touching the bone. If it registers 180 F, the turkey is ready. If it doesn’t, baste the bird again and roast 15 to 30 minutes more, or until the 180 F temperature is achieved.
- When cooked, baste turkey with pan juices again, and then remove from the oven. Set the dish of dressing in the oven and increase oven temperature to 375 F. Bake dressing 20 minutes. While that occurs, transfer turkey to a large cutting board or platter. Tent with foil and let rest until ready to carve, up to 30 minutes.
- To make gravy, skim fat from pan drippings. Place pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 3 cups of the stock and bring to a boil. Place remaining 1/2 cup stock and flour in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour mixture into the pan. Whisk and simmer gravy until thickened, about 5 minutes, and then season with salt and pepper. Keep gravy warm over low heat.
- When dressing has baked 20 minutes, uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, or until hot and golden on top. Carve the turkey and serve with the dressing and gravy.
Note: Quality Foods baked in-house breads are sold in bags in our Bakery Department. One loaf of either of the breads noted in the recipe should yield the slices needed here. Before baking the dressing, check it, if it appears overly dry, drizzle it with a bit more stock before baking it.
30 minutes
Prep Time
210 minutes
Cook Time
8
Servings
Shop Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Little Creek - Salad Dressing - Okanagan Caesar, 295 Millilitre
$9.29$3.15/100ml
QF - Quality Foods Salted Butter, 454 Gram
Free with 3450 Points Redeemed
$6.99$1.54/100g
Western Family - Bacon, Naturally Smoked Bacon, 375 Gram
$7.39$1.97/100g
Onions - Sweet, Fresh, 400 Gram
$2.02 avg/ea was $2.64 avg/ea$0.50/100g
Celery - Bunch, Fresh, 675 Gram
$5.64 avg/ea$0.84/100g
Mccormick - Sage Leaves, 7 Gram
$5.49 was $6.99$78.43/100g
Parsley - Italian, Fresh, 1 Each
$2.49
Not Available
Windsor - Salt & Pepper Shakers, 155 Gram
$6.49$4.19/100g
Not Available
Western Family - All Purpose White Flour, 2.5 Kilogram
$5.99 was $6.39$0.24/100g
Directions
- To make dressing, place bread in a bowl. Grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with soft butter. Place bacon in a large skillet set over medium, medium-high heat and cook until crispy. Drain fat from bacon. Set skillet back over the heat. Add the onion, celery and sage and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon bacon mixture over the bread and add 1 1/2 cups of stock, parsley and salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon dressing into the baking dish, cover and refrigerate until needed. It can be made a few hours in advance.
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Remove neck and any innards from the turkey. Place turkey and the neck in a large, shallow roasting pan. (Discard any innards, unless you want to cook them separately.) Tie turkey legs together; fold and tuck wings under the body. Brush turkey with the melted butter; season turkey salt and pepper. Roast turkey, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours. Give pan a 180-degree turn. Roast turkey another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Insert an instant-read meat thermometer deep into an inner thigh of the turkey, not touching the bone. If it registers 180 F, the turkey is ready. If it doesn’t, baste the bird again and roast 15 to 30 minutes more, or until the 180 F temperature is achieved.
- When cooked, baste turkey with pan juices again, and then remove from the oven. Set the dish of dressing in the oven and increase oven temperature to 375 F. Bake dressing 20 minutes. While that occurs, transfer turkey to a large cutting board or platter. Tent with foil and let rest until ready to carve, up to 30 minutes.
- To make gravy, skim fat from pan drippings. Place pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 3 cups of the stock and bring to a boil. Place remaining 1/2 cup stock and flour in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour mixture into the pan. Whisk and simmer gravy until thickened, about 5 minutes, and then season with salt and pepper. Keep gravy warm over low heat.
- When dressing has baked 20 minutes, uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, or until hot and golden on top. Carve the turkey and serve with the dressing and gravy.
Note: Quality Foods baked in-house breads are sold in bags in our Bakery Department. One loaf of either of the breads noted in the recipe should yield the slices needed here. Before baking the dressing, check it, if it appears overly dry, drizzle it with a bit more stock before baking it.