1 12 to 14 Pound Turkey, the neck and giblets (excluding the liver reserved for making turkey giblet stock)
1 1/2 Sticks (3/4 Cup) Unsalted Butter, softened
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Turkey Giblet Stock or Chicken Broth (recipe below)
FOR THE GRAVY:
1 Cup Dry White Wine
6 Tbl. Flour
4 Cups Turkey Giblet Stock, including the reserved cooked neck and giblets.
Fresh sage leaves for garnish
Make the stuffing: In a shallow baking pan arrange the bread cubes in one layer, bake them in a preheated 325 degrees F. oven, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden, and transfer them to a large bowl. In a large skillet saute the ham in the butter over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is deep red and the edges are crisp, and transfer it with a slotted spoon to the bowl. To the fat remaining in the skillet add the onion, the celery, the sage, and the thyme, cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, until the onions are softened, and transfer it to the bowl. Toss the stuffing well, season it with salt and pepper, and let it cool completely. The stuffing may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. (To prevent bacterial growth do not stuff the turkey cavities in advance.)
Rinse the turkey, pat it dry, and season it inside and out with salt and pepper. Pack the neck cavity loosely with some of the stuffing, fold the neck skin under the body, and fasten it with a skewer. Pack the body cavity loosely with some of the remaining stuffing and truss the turkey. Transfer the remaining stuffing to a buttered 2-quart baking dish and reserve it, covered and chilled.
Spread the turkey with 1/2 stick of the butter and roast it on a rack in a roasting pan in a preheated 425 degrees F. oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F., baste the turkey with the pan juices, and drape it with a piece of cheesecloth, soaked in the remaining 1 stick butter, melted and cooled. Add the water to the pan and roast the turkey, basting it every 20 minutes, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours more, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of a thigh registers 180 degrees F and the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer. During the last 1 1/2 hours of roasting, drizzle the reserved stuffing with the stock, bake it, covered, in the 325 degrees F. oven for 1 hour, and bake it, uncovered, for 1/2 hour more. Discard the cheesecloth and string from the turkey, transfer the turkey to a heated platter, reserving the juices in the roasting pan, and keep it warm, covered loosely with foil.
To Make the gravy: Skim all of the fat from the roasting pan juices, reserving 1/3 cup of the fat, add the wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan over moderately high heat, scraping up the brown bits. Boil the mixture until it is reduced by half, In a saucepan combine the reserve fat and the flour and cook the roux over moderately low heat, whisking, for three minutes. Add the stock and the wine mixture in a stream, whisking, bring the mixture to a boil, whisking, and simmer the gravy, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the reserved cooked giblets and neck meat, chopped, and salt and pepper to taste, simmer the gravy for two minutes, and transfer it to a heated sauceboat.
Garnish the turkey with the sage leaves and serve it with the gravy and the stuffing.
