Recipe from Nick Badovinus, Neighborhood Services, Dallas

Roast Turkey

Nick’s mom’s recipe for roast turkey.

1 twelve- to fourteen-pound turkey
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 to 3 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch fresh sage
2 lemons, halved
2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, at room temperature
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse turkey and pat dry inside and outside. Generously season cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff bird with onion, celery, carrots, garlic, sage, and lemons. Gently rub butter under skin of breast and on exterior of legs and thighs. Truss butcher’s twine and place on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Season with additional salt and pepper (and don’t be shy).

Place turkey in oven. After 30 minutes, lower temperature to 325 degrees and add white wine and chicken stock to pan. In 20 to 30 minutes, baste with pan juices and continue every 30 minutes until done. If bird is browning too quickly, place a foil tent over breast. Cook 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until a meat thermometer inserted into a thick part of thigh reads 180 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving.

Deviled Pecans

3 cups pecan halves
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (available in most Central Market stores)
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2 egg whites, beaten to soft peaks

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss, using a wooden spoon. Spread pecans evenly on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 6 minutes, remove pan from oven, and stir pecans. Return to oven and bake until thoroughly dried and toasted, about 18 more minutes, but check every 5 minutes to avoid burning. Allow to cool.

Dressing

1 1/2 to 2 sticks (3/4 to 1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory
2 pinches kosher salt
2 pinches black pepper
1 pound bulk spicy Italian sausage
6 cups cornbread (your favorite recipe or store-bought), half crumbled,
the other half cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 cups Deviled Pecans (see preceding recipe)
1/4 cup good-quality bourbon (can substitute chicken stock)
1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken stock, or enough to moisten the mixture

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent; do not brown. Add celery, rosemary, sage, and savory. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring as needed, for about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. In same skillet, cook sausage over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes. Crumble and transfer to onion-celery mixture. Add cornbread, parsley, Deviled Pecans, bourbon, and stock and gently mix. Adjust seasoning. Transfer dressing mixture to a greased casserole dish and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Put dressing in bowls alongside turkey.

Serves 10.