My buddy deep-fries the meanest turkey you every tried. Usually when we camp or tailgate together, he will fry up a turkey, but he usually makes french fries to go with it. Nothing wrong with french fries, but I thought something more appropriate should be in order. After some experimentation, I have perfected my recipe for the perfect side dish for deep-fried turkey.
Turkey Stuffing Hush Puppies.
1 boxes turkey stuffing (stove-top or equivalent)
1 cups chicken broth.
1 extra large eggs
1 package of dry turkey gravy mix.
The stuffing mix calls for 1-2/3 cup water per box, but I found 1 cup of broth and the egg makes for a perfect moisture level to form into balls.
Add the stuffing mix to a good size mixing bowl. Heat the broth up to just hot but not boiling, either on the stove, over the fire or in the microwave. let cool for a minute or two and stir in the gravy mix. Add immediate to the stuffing mix (before the gravy can set up). Stir well to moisten all the stuffing and cover bowl with a towel for 5 minutes so the stuffing mix can soften an absorb the moisture. Add the egg and stir well. The mix should be able to be formed into balls, but not 'soggy'. You can add a splash more room temp broth to get the consistency right.
Your oil should be near 350 degrees. form the mix into hush-puppy sized balls and fry until crispy and hot. The puppies will wind up slightly darker than standard corn meal puppies when done.
You can adjust the amount of gravy mix to add to suit your taste. I prefer a more pronounced turkey flavor, but you may not. You can also make this up ahead of time and refrigerate it for a couple of days. I haven't tried it with leftover home-made dressing like from thanksgiving, but I don't see why it won't work
Enjoy!
Tim