Recipe: Delta Roasted Turkey, Call Me Southern Cornbread Dressing and Million Dollar Gravy

This week on Good Food, Evan talks to Chef Elizabeth Heiskell from Greenwood, Mississippi. Elizabeth learned a unique way of roasting her Thanksgiving turkey from her grandmother…in a pillowcase. Be sure to hear Elizabeth’s interview with Evan (and her amazing Southern accent) this Saturday on Good Food at 11am. Meanwhile, recipes for her Delta Roasted Turkey, Call Me Southern Cornbread Dressing and Million Dollar Gravy are below…

Call Me Southern Cornbread Dressing

I have had long discussions with my cousin and brother-in-law about

the fact that our favorite foods should be revered

and should only be eaten occasionally. Their favorite is fried chicken,

mine is dressing and cranberry sauce. So although it kills us, we will pass

it up and eat it only a few times a year because we don’t want it to become

commonplace. Some people feel the exact opposite, saying “you are going

to be dead a long time. You should enjoy your favorite foods at all opportunities.”

Whichever camp you belong to, this dressing recipe is the best.

3 stalks celery

½ medium yellow onion, chopped

½ medium bell pepper, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons sage

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 bay leaf

¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper

5 cups crumbled cornbread

4 cups crumbled saltine cracker crumbs

4½ cups chicken broth

4 beaten eggs

Sauté celery, onions, and bell pepper in butter until translucent. Add sage, poultry

seasoning, bay leaf, and cayenne pepper and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes more.

Remove bay leaf. Mix cornbread, cracker crumbs, vegetables,

and chicken broth. Stir until well mixed and liquid has absorbed into the

cornbread and crackers. At this point, it should be very moist and mushy

(close to the consistency of loose oatmeal). Fold in the eggs. Pour into a 9×13

casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Dressing should be set in the

middle and golden brown.

Delta Roasted Turkey

12-15-pound turkey

4 strips smoked bacon

2 cups red wine

1½ cups chicken broth

6 whole peppercorns

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons parsley

1 teaspoon thyme

3 sticks butter

salt and pepper

Wash turkey and remove giblets, neck, and anything else in it. Dry the bird. Coat it with 1 stick of softened butter and liberally salt and pepper the entire bird. Cut a sheet or pillowcase into a square big enough to wrap the entire turkey. Using a “V” shaped rack and roasting pan, place the cloth over the rack and put 4 strips of smoked bacon on the cloth. Place the turkey breast side down on top of the bacon and fold the cloth up and over the turkey so it is fully covered. Pour the red wine and 1 cup chicken broth over the turkey to completely saturate the turkey and pillowcase. Add peppercorns, bay leaves, parsley, and thyme to the bottom of the

pan. Place the turkey into a 500-degree oven and roast for 20 minutes.

In a sauté pan, melt 2 sticks of butter with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and ½

cup chicken broth. After the turkey has roasted 20 minutes, liberally baste the turkey

with the butter mixture. Make sure the entire cloth around the bird is saturated. Turn

the oven to 300 degrees and continue roasting until a meat thermometer registers 170

degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the thigh. Baste the turkey every hour with pan

juices. If the pan dries, then pour in equal parts red wine and chicken broth. 15-20 minutes before

the roasting time is up, remove the cloth and flip the turkey over so

that the breast side is up. Brush the breast with melted butter so the skin will crisp and

brown. Once the turkey is ready, remove the bird to a warm platter.

Million Dollar Gravy

2 cups juices from turkey pan

red wine if needed

2 tablespoons softened butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

salt and pepper to taste

Strain the juices left in the roasting pan. If necessary, add enough red wine to make at least 2 cups of liquid. Then pour it back into the pan. Place the pan over medium heat and use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits from the bottom

of the pan. Blend softened butter and all-purpose flour to make a paste. Whisk into

roasting pan and bring to a simmer. Continue to whisk until thick. Taste to adjust salt

and pepper.