Many people just throw the turkey in the oven and bake him as is. And that’s fine. But since Thanksgiving is such a special meal it’s fun to make the main course a little more elegant.

Herb Roasted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy

1 (10- to 12-pound) whole fresh turkey
1/2 cup melted butter
12 fresh sage leaves
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 c. chicken broth
2 cups apple juice
Turkey Gravy (Optional)

Rinse the inside of the turkey; pat dry with paper towels. Carefully use your hands to loosen the skin of the turkey at the breast. Gently arrange the sage and parsley leaves under the skin so that you can see them. Spoon stuffing (recipe below) into neck and body cavities. Pull neck skin to the back and use skewers or sew up. Twist foil around the wing tips. Close up the front cavity using skewers and stuff half an apple in opening. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place turkey breast side up, on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush butter mixture on top and all over turkey. Cover loosely with foil. Pour apple juice and chicken broth in bottom of pan.

Roast turkey in a 325 degrees F oven for 3-4 hours. Baste every 1/2 hour. If using thermometer, the meat should register 180 and the stuffing inside should register 165. Take foil off turkey the last hour to brown and cover again if it gets too dark.

Remove turkey from pan, reserving pan drippings. Place turkey on a platter and cover; let it stand 15-25 minutes before cutting and taking stuffing out.

Turkey Gravy

Makes: about 1 3/4 cups

Pan drippings
2 tablespoons flour

Pour pan drippings into a fat strainer; let stand until fat rises to top. Pour 1 3/4 cups turkey broth into a liquid measuring cup; reserve 2 tablespoons fat from drippings. Heat reserved fat in bottom of heavy-duty roasting pan. Whisk in flour, and cook 5 minutes, whisking to loosen particles from bottom of pan. Gradually whisk in reserved turkey broth, and cook, whisking constantly, 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve immediately with turkey.

Sausage, Apple and Pecan Stuffing

1 lb. Jimmy Dean Pork mild sausage
3 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery, including leaves
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 (14 oz.) bag plus 1 small bag Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing
3 red apples, washed, cored, and chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped almonds or pecans or walnuts
2 packets G Washington’s Seasonings
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups homemade turkey stock (recipe follows), divided use
salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage in skillet till browned. Drain and set aside.

Saute onions and celery in butter till onions begin to golden.

In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry stuffing, the onions and celery, sausage, chopped apple, raisins, nuts, seasoning packets, and cinnamon; begin blending, with your hands, add 1 cup of broth at a time till you get to the desired stuffing consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.

Put the stuffing in a casserole with foil over (refrigerate until ready to bake). Remove from refrigerator, let stand 15 minutes and then bake the last 45 minutes with the turkey or until heated through.

To make the turkey stock:
Place the bagged contents that come inside the turkey in a pressure cooker, top with water, 1/2 and onion studded with 6 whole cloves, 2 garlic cloves, a sprig of parsley, 1 celery stalk cut in half, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper. Pressure cook for about 45 minutes. Take out the turkey neck and pick off all the tender meat and place in a bowl. Then strain the broth. Discard everything else and use the stock and turkey meat to add to the stuffing.

Add mashed potatoes, a green bean casserole and pumpkin pie and you are all set for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner!