Old Fashioned Giblet Stuffing
An old school, giblet infused stuffing for your Thanksgiving turkey that is full of bold, meaty flavor and delicate edges.
Ingredients
- Homemade Turkey Stock (see above in italics)
- Giblets from Turkey, cooked in stock (meat from turkey neck, heart, stomach, partial liver, wing tips if possible), combined in food processor or chopped finely.
- 1/2 lb ground beef (sirloin is great)
- 1 and 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
- 2-3 medium onions, diced
- Handful of parsley
- 1 lb breadcrumbs (plain, and the finer the better. Bakery breadcrumbs are a great source)
- 2 eggs, combined
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Have the turkey stock at room temperature at the ready. Melt butter to a pan on medium heat. Add onions (medium) and a dash of salt. Brown for about 10 minutes on lower heat. It will seem like a lot of butter, but it will do wonders for the flavor.
- Once the onions are soft, add in the giblets and the beef. Increase back to medium and combine for 10-15 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper (and thyme or sage if you like).
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the eggs, parsley, and then a portion of bread crumbs,until the mix is not watery.
- Start adding in the stock a couple spoonfuls at a time until moist. I play with the portions at this point and add in more breadcrumbs and stock, alternately, until the look and feel is right. The stuffing should appear slightly dense (it is not a fluffy stuffing), moist, but not soggy.
- Smooth the stuffing into a casserole dish and cover with foil. You can stuff in your turkey, but I find that the stuffing gets too dry as we wait for the turkey to cook. If your turkey is set for approximately 350 degrees, the stuffing should take about 1 hour. Feel free to remove the foil for the last 10 minutes or so, and raise up to a higher rack.
Notes
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes and enjoy--with your holiday turkey, with gravy, as a complete leftover meal of many varieties...
- Warmed with a fried egg on top,
- Fashioned into a Thanksgiving leftover "ball" using turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry, anything you've got, before rolling into more bread crumbs and pan-frying in olive oil,
- Or simply eat a square of cold stuffing with a fork while spending the day in bed watching movies.
- Welcome to the holiday world that was, and the world that can be delicious any time you have the courage to recognize the magical secret ingredient of GIBLETS!