Turkey with Sausage, Apricot, and Sage Stuffing

You can serve this stuffing with a side of mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 6 ounces turkey and about 1 cup stuffing)

Ingredients

• 1  (12-pound) fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
• 1  pound  sweet turkey Italian sausage (about 4 links)
• 2  cups  chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1  cup  chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
• 1 1/4  cups  coarsely chopped dried apricots
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh sage
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 3/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1  (14-ounce) package country-style stuffing mix (such as Pepperidge Farm)
• 3 1/4  cups  hot Roasted Turkey Stock
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  canola oil
• 3  cups  water, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Trim excess fat. Do not trim excess skin around neck.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and celery. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Place sausage mixture in a large bowl. Add apricots, parsley, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and stuffing mix. Drizzle with hot Roasted Turkey Stock; toss well. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Stuff 2 cups sausage mixture into neck cavity. Fold skin over sausage mixture, and loosely secure with several wooden picks. Stuff 3 cups sausage mixture into body cavity. Spoon remaining sausage mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover dish with foil, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Brush turkey with oil; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover breast with foil. Pour 2 cups water into pan.

Bake at 325° for 2 hours; remove foil, and baste turkey with pan juices. Add remaining 1 cup water to pan, if needed. Bake an additional 2 hours or until thermometer inserted in meaty part of thigh registers 165°, basting every 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven; let stand at least 30 minutes before carving.

Increase oven temperature to 350°. Bake the remaining stuffing, covered, 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Discard wooden picks.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

506 (21% from fat)

Fat:

11.5g (sat 2.8g,mono 4g,poly 3.1g)

Protein:

79.6g

Carbohydrate:

38.1g

Fiber:

3.2g

Cholesterol:

251mg

Iron:

7mg

Sodium:

872mg

Calcium:

74mg