Turkey with Sausage, Apricot, and Sage Stuffing

Ingredients

• 0.8 teaspoon pepper black divided freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon canola oil 
• 1 cup celery chopped ( 4 stalks)
• 1.3 cups apricot dried coarsely chopped
• 0.3 cup parsley fresh chopped
• 1 tablespoon sage fresh chopped
• 1 pound ground sausage sweet italian ( 4 links)
• 2 cups onion chopped ( 1 large)
• 0.8 teaspoon salt divided
• 14 ounce bread stuffing mix country-style (such as Pepperidge Farm)
• 12 pound turkey fresh thawed
• 3.3 cups turkey stock hot
• 3 cups water divided

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• baking pan
• roasting pan
• kitchen thermometer
• aluminum foil
• kitchen twine

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 32
2. Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Trim excess fat. Do not trim excess skin around neck.
3. Remove casings from sausage.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.
6. Add onion and celery. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
7. Place sausage mixture in a large bowl.
8. Add apricots, parsley, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and stuffing mix.
9. Drizzle with hot Roasted Turkey Stock; toss well. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Stuff 2 cups sausage mixture into neck cavity. Fold skin over sausage mixture, and loosely secure with several wooden picks. Stuff 3 cups sausage mixture into body cavity. Spoon remaining sausage mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover dish with foil, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Tie legs together with kitchen string.
10. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.
11. Brush turkey with oil; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover breast with foil.
12. Pour 2 cups water into pan.
13. Bake at 325 for 2 hours; remove foil, and baste turkey with pan juices.
14. Add remaining 1 cup water to pan, if needed.
15. Bake an additional 2 hours or until thermometer inserted in meaty part of thigh registers 165, basting every 30 minutes.
16. Remove turkey from oven; let stand at least 30 minutes before carving.
17. Increase oven temperature to 35
18. Bake the remaining stuffing, covered, 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Discard wooden picks.