Vintage Thanksgiving Recipe - Roast Turkey

This vintage recipe is shared for fun, more than for the recipe. As we are busily "working" on our Thanksgiving meal, we can be thankful for the things we do not have to do.

This recipe is an excerpt from The Everyday Cookbook by Miss E. Neil. My copy was published by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company and is not dated, but I have seen copies on line dated in the 1890's.

Roast Turkey

Carefully pluck the bird, singe it with white paper, and wipe it thoroughly with a cloth; draw it, preserve the gizzard and liver,and be particular not to break the gall bag, as no amount of washing will remove thebitter taste it imparts where it once touches. Wash it inside well, and wipe it thoroughly with a dry cloth; the outside merely requires wiping nicely. Cut off the neck close to the back, but leave enough of the crop skin to turn over; Break the leg bones close below the knee; Draw out the strings from the thighs,and flatten the breast-bone to make it look plump. Have ready your dressing of bread crumbs mixed with butter, pepper, salt, thyme or sweet marjoram; Fill the breast with this and sew the neck over to the back. Be particular that the turkey is firmly trussed. Dredge it lightly with flour, and put a piece of butter into the basting ladle; As the butter melts, baste the bird with it. When of a nice brown and well frothed, serve with a tureen of good brown gravy and one of bread sauce. The liver should be put under one pinion, and the gizzard under the other. Fried sausages are a favorite addition to roast turkey; they make a pretty garnish besides adding much to the flavor. When these are not at hand, a few forcemeat balls should be placed round the dish as a garnish. Turkey may also be stuffed with sausage meat and a chestnut forcemeat with the same sauce is, by many persons, much esteemed as an accompaniment to this favorite dish.

SECOND RECIPE-After drawing and cleansing the turkey, prepare a dressing of sausage and bread crumbs, mixing in butter, pepper, salt, and thyme to flavor. Fill the craw and body of the turkey with this, and sew up carefully. Dredge with flour and put in the oven to roast, basting freely first with butter and water, and then with gravy from the pan. The time it takes to roast will depend both on the age and the weight of the turkey. If you have a good fire, you will be safe to add 10 minutes or so to the pound. Roast to a fine brown and serve with chopped giblets, which should be well stewed; and cranberry sauce.