Preparing and stuffing a turkey the night before will enhance the flavour and save time on the day.
ingredients
14 pound turkey
salt and pepper
3 tbsp chicken seasoning
2 small red onions, peeled and halved
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 lemon, halved
6 thyme sprigs
4 sage sprigs
4 flat-leafed parsley sprigs
STUFFING
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 3/4 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, chopped
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped flat-leafed parsley
2 tbsp chopped sage
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
juice of 1/2 lemon
TO COOK THE TURKEY
10 ounce pack butter
24 inch square of muslin
12 sage leaves
10 thyme sprigs
2 lemons, cut into wedges
4 small red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves
TO SERVE
rich wine gravy, bread sauce, rosemary bacon rolls and sausages
method
1. First make the stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic gently for 5 minutes to soften without browning. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Put the breadcrumbs, pistachios, lemon zest, parsley, sage and egg into a bowl, then sprinkle with the lemon juice. Add the onion mixture, then season with salt and pepper. Stir well to bind the ingredients together. Let the stuffing cool completely.
2. Stand the turkey upright on a board with the parson's nose facing upwards. Sprinkle 2 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper and 1 tbsp chicken seasoning into the cavity, then add the onions, garlic, lemon, thyme, sage and parsley.
3. Sit the turkey with the parson's nose facing away from you. Lift up the loose skin at the neck end with one hand and, using the other hand, insert the cold stuffing. Turn the turkey on to its breast, lift the neck flap up and over the stuffing to cover it, and rest the wing tips across it to secure.
4. Use a trussing needle and and a 2 metre (6 1/2 feet) length of string to oversew the neck flap to the turkey, enclosing the stuffing. Push the needle into one wing and through to the other, pulling it tight. Tuck in the parson's nose and secure it with a skewer. Bring the string up and under the leg, and wrap it tightly around the loop of the skewer. Tie the legs together and secure them with a double knot,
5. When ready to cook, melt the butter in a pan and pour into a roasting tin. Cool slightly then immerse the muslin in the butter, stretching it out, with the edges overhanging the tin. Put the turkey in the middle, sprinkle it with the remaining chicken seasoning, then season with pepper. Scatter the sage and thyme across the turkey and arrange the lemons, onions and garlic around it. Wrap the turkey in the muslin and turn it over so it's sitting breast-side down in the tin.
6. Roast the turkey in the oven at 200°C (180°C fan oven) for 3 hours 40 minutes, or allowing 15 minutes for each 1 pound, including the weight of the stuffing. After 1 hour 50 minutes, turn the turkey over so it's breast-side up and continue roasting for the remaining 1 hour 50 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a knife is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Remove the turkey from the tin, unwrap and put it on a serving dish. Cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes before carving. Reserve the pan juices for the gravy.
7. Carve the turkey and stuffing and serve with the accompaniments, gravy and vegetables.
more information
Rosemary bacon rolls and sausages: Cut about 10 maple-smoked rindless bacon rashers in half. Use the back of a knife to stretch each rasher slightly, then roll up into bacon rolls. Put into a small roasting tin with 20 cocktail sausages and scatter with 4 rosemary sprigs. Cover and chill overnight. Roast at 200°C (180°C fan oven) for 30 minutes until cooked through and browned.
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