Herb Cranberry Stuffing. A simple herb and cranberry stuffing with a recipe for deliciously juicy garlic and herb butter roasted turkey included.
Herb Cranberry Stuffing
Originally published March, 2008.
Here in Newfoundland, we roast our turkeys pretty simply. The vast majority of households will also have the same traditional summer savoury stuffing which we call “dressing”.
This recipe uses Newfoundland savoury dressing as a base to build from. I do love that stuffing too but it’s always nice to change things up a little so things don’t get boring at the dinner table.
Close up photo of Herb Cranberry Stuffing.
Garlic Herb Butter Roast Turkey with Herb Cranberry Stuffing, gravy, roasted vegetables & buttered peas.
That’s especially true for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas,although at our house we don’t restrict turkey to just the special occasions like the Holidays. It’s actually our family’s favourite roast Sunday dinner that we have every few weeks at least.
Garlic Herb Butter.
Garlic and Herb Butter Roast Turkey ready for the oven.
Sometimes we roast a turkey just to have the leftovers! They can be very useful for meal planning through the week, following a Sunday roast dinner.
In fact, we have an ever growing collection of Leftover Turkey Recipes to help with just such meals.
Turkey for everyday meals.
Often, we roast a turkey just to serve with some roasted vegetables that are done in the oven at the same time. We especially love our English Style Roasted Potatoes with that meal.
While some families might think it’s a bit of a production to have a roast turkey dinner, we kind of think it’s pretty simple and everyday. Plus, think of all the things you can do with all those leftovers! It’s practically 3 days of menu planning from one bird.
Garlic Herb Butter roast turkey makes a beautiful presentation for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Summer savoury may be hard to find in your neck of the woods but any mild herb can be used. Basil, oregano or marjoram are good options.
Find more of my leftover turkey ideas by clicking this link to 22 of my favourites!
if the turkey breast browns too quickly, cover it with a layer of aluminum foil.
Some wild cranberries from the barrens around Newtown, Bonavista Bay that came from my father in law Len was the inspiration for this particular stuffing version.
In Newfoundland, stuffing is bread crumb based. Sausage stuffing for example, was something that I never encountered until into my twenties!
Herb Cranberry Stuffing cooked in a casserole dish instead of inside the turkey.
Bread crumbs or cubes?
I still prefer the bread based stuffing recipes but nowadays, I like to use bread cubes rather than crumbs for easier handling. I also love to add toasted nuts and chopped dried fruits, like apricots, to the mix on occasion.
Herb Cranberry Stuffing with Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Turkey. Original 2008 photo
This one uses the tart pop of cranberries to add flavour and interest to the dressing. It’s a particularly delicious result in combination with some of my favourite herbs. Use fresh if you like but dried herbs are also perfectly delicious in this easy recipe.
Like this Herb Cranberry Stuffing and Turkey recipe?
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Herb Cranberry Stuffing with a recipe for Garlic Herb Butter Roast Turkey included.
Ingredients
For the roast turkey
- 10 lb turkey
- 4 cloves roasted garlic
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, for the flavoured butter
- salt and pepper to season
For the Cranberry Herb Stuffing
- 8 cups day old baguette cut in small cubes
- 4 tablespoons summer savoury
- 1 tsp ground sage
- ½ tsp ground thyme
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup butter
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup toasted chopped almonds, optional
Instructions
- Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper.
- Carefully loosen skin from the breast, thighs and legs of the turkey by sliding your fingers between the skin and meat.
- Roast the garlic cloves with a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper in an aluminum foil pouch in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
- Blend together the butter, sage and roasted garlic.
- Push the flavoured butter between the skin and turkey meat. Pat the surface of the skin to evenly distribute the butter over the meat.
- Stuff the turkey, truss it and open roast (uncovered) for about 2 ½ hours (at 375 degrees F for a half hour, then reduce the temperature to 350 F) until a meat thermometer registers 185 degrees F when inserted into the middle of the thickest part of the breast and thigh meat. I sometimes
- Let the turkey rest for a minimum of 15 minutes before carving.
For the Cranberry Herb Stuffing
- Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter over low heat until the onions are tender.
- Toss well with all the remaining ingredients.
- Use as a stuffing for poultry or cook in a covered casserole dish at 250 degrees F for about ½ hour to 45 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1 gramsAmount Per Serving Calories 596Total Fat 33gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 247mgSodium 463mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 58g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Jennifer Graham
Monday 13th of October 2014
Making this now, but an missing the oven temp for the turkey?
Barry C. Parsons
Monday 13th of October 2014
Sorry, That was a copy and paste error when I was reformatting the recipe for Ziplist. The recipe has now been updated. I generally like to roast at a hotter temperature for the first half hour or so to seal the skin well. 375 F or even 400 F for a larger turkey. This helps keep the breast meat in particular, more juicy. I then roast at 350 for the remaining time. Don't forget to let the turkey rest. That's more important than a lot of people realize. Happy Thanksgiving if you are in Canada! Barry.