TURKEY FRUIT PLATTER RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. In my books, the perfect bird is 6.5kg– 8kg in weight because that’s a good size to handle, feeds about 10 to 14 people and has better flavour than bigger birds. If you’re buying from a small producer, like the lovely turkey I used from my mate Paul Kelly, you’ll often find these birds come with their own cooking instructions. Really good-quality birds do cook in a shorter time so follow the instructions if it has them.
  2. This year I’m using a flavoured butter to give a bit of extra love to my turkey, and this is a job you can do the day before. Get your turkey and use a spoon to work your way between the skin and the meat. Start at the side of the cavity just above the leg and work gently up towards the breastbone and towards the back so you create a large cavity. Pick up half of your butter and push it into the cavity you’ve created. Use your hands to push it through the skin right to the back so it coats the breast meat as evenly as possible. Do the same on the other side then rub any leftover butter all over the outside of the bird to use it up. If you’ve got any herb stalks left over, put them in the cavity of the turkey for added flavour as it cooks. Cover the turkey in cling film and keep in the fridge until you need it.
  3. Take your turkey out of the fridge a few hours before you are ready to put it in the oven so it has time to come up to room temperature. That flavoured butter will already be under the skin so you’ll only need a few tweaks to finish it off. Halve the clementines and pop them in the cavity with a few more sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, bay and thyme. The fruit will steam and flavour the birds in a really lovely way. Take the fresh rosemary, pull off the leaves at the bottom then spear that through the loose skin around the cavity to hold it together and keep it from shrinking back as the turkey cooks.
  4. Open up the neck cavity and pack as much stuffing as possible in there, then carefully pull the skin back over the cavity, tuck it under the bird and pop it in the roasting tray. If you’ve already made your gravy like I’ve done, you won’t need a vegetable trivet, if not, do that now by roughly chopping the carrots, onions and celery sticks. Preheat your oven to full whack, get the turkey in the roasting tray and cover with foil. As soon as it goes in the oven, immediately turn the heat down to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  5. As a rough guide, you want to cook the turkey for about 35 to 40 minutes per kilogram, so a 7kg turkey will want about 4 to 4½ hours in the oven. But there are so many variables such as the sort of oven you have and the quality of your bird. Check on your turkey every 30 minutes or so and keep it from drying out by basting it with the lovely juices from the bottom of the pan. After 3½ hours, remove the foil so the skin gets golden and crispy. If you are at all worried just stick a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. When the internal temperature has reached 65ºC for a good quality bird, and about 82ºC for a cheaper bird, it’s ready to come out.
  6. Carefully put a metal skewer in the cavity and use it to lift the bird and angle it over the roasting tray so all of the juices from the cavity run out. Move the turkey to a platter then cover it with a double layer of tinfoil and 2 tea towels to keep it warm while it rests for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours for bigger birds.

Steps:

• 1. Remove the turkey from of the fridge 1 hour in advance to come up to room temperature.
  2. For the stuffing, peel and finely chop the onions, roughly chop the dried fruit and nuts, and pick the thyme leaves. Whiz the bread into breadcrumbs in a food processor.
  3. Heat a lug of oil in a large pan on a medium heat, then add the onion. Cook for around 10 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Add the allspice, dried fruit, nuts, thyme and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool completely.
  4. Once cool, add the pork mince and breadcrumbs to the bowl and scrunch everything together with clean hands. Reserve about half the stuffing for the turkey, then transfer the rest to a greased baking dish (approximately 20cm). Spread it out in an even layer, keeping it rough on top, then put aside.
  5. Preheat the oven to full whack. Rinse the turkey under the cold tap, then pat it dry, inside and out, with kitchen paper.
  6. Peel and crush the garlic, finely grate the lemon zest, then pick and roughly chop the thyme and rosemary. In a small bowl, mix the soft butter, garlic, lemon zest, half the thyme and rosemary leaves and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
  7. Push your finger and thumb between the skin and the flesh around the main cavity to make a gap and use a spatula to push in the butter. Squash the skin back down and use your hands to smooth and spread the butter under the skin. Open up the neck cavity and pack in the reserved stuffing. Pull the skin over the cavity and tuck it under the bird.
  8. Drizzle the bird with oil and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper, then rub this into the meat. Cut the zested lemon in half and place in the empty cavity.
  9. Peel and roughly chop the onion, trim and roughly chop the celery and carrot, then place in a large roasting tray with the turkey on top. Cover with tin foil then place in the hot oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes per kilo – the 5kg bird in this recipe will take about 3 to 3½ hours.
  10. Check your turkey every 30 minutes or so – spoon over any juices from the bottom of the tray to keep it juicy. After 2½ hours, remove the foil so the skin crisps up. Thirty minutes before the turkey is ready, mix the remaining herbs with oil and scatter over the bird. Halve and add the clementines to the tray and leave in for the remaining cooking time.
  11. To check the turkey is cooked, stick a small sharp knife into the fattest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear and the meat pulls apart easily, it’s ready. If not, cook it for a bit longer then check again. Once done, transfer the turkey to a serving platter and turn the oven up to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Cover the turkey with tin foil and 2 clean tea towels to keep it warm. Leave to rest for about 30 minutes while you cook your veg, stuffing and gravy.
  12. For the roast potatoes and veg, peel the parsnips, scrub the potatoes and carrots, then peel and halve the shallots. Break the garlic bulb up into cloves. Parboil the baby carrots in a pan of boiling salted water on a high heat for 5 minutes. Drain them in a colander and leave to steam dry. Chop the potatoes into 2cm chunks and peel and halve the parsnips lengthways.
  13. Add the veg to 2 large roasting trays with the shallots. Crush the garlic cloves with the heel of your hand and pick the rosemary leaves. Add both to the trays along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle everything generously with oil and toss well to coat. Roast in the hot oven along with the stuffing for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through.
  14. When the veg and stuffing are in the oven, warm the stock in a pan on a medium heat. Skim most of the fat away from the roasting tray, then stir in the flour, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the sticky bits from the bottom.
  15. Place on a medium heat and add the red wine. Once that has cooked away, pour in the stock, bring it all to the boil, then reduce to a medium heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until you get a good consistency.
  16. Carefully pour the gravy through a sieve into a serving jug, using a spoon to push all that goodness through. Discard anything left in the sieve. Carve your turkey in the kitchen or at the table, and serve with all the usual trimmings.