TURKEY WITH STUFFING RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
  2. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Drizzle a little oil into a frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until completely translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until golden, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  3. Squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins into a large bowl. Roughly chop the sage leaves and apricots, and stir into the sausagemeat along with the breadcrumbs and cooled onion mixture. Use your hands to bring it all together.
  4. Lay the turkey breast on a clean chopping board, skin-side down, and evenly spread the stuffing over the top. With the longest side of the breast closest to you, tightly roll it up, then place seam-side down on the board. Drape the streaky bacon widthways along the length of the turkey.
  5. Tie up the turkey breast with 5 or 6 pieces of kitchen string, about 5cm apart, knotting them tightly to secure the roll. Drizzle over a little oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.
  6. Place the turkey breast in a roasting tin, cover with tin foil and roast for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or 40 minutes per kilo), removing the foil for the last 20 minutes to allow the bacon to crisp up. Pierce the centre of the turkey and check that the juices run clear.
  7. Transfer the turkey to a board, cover with foil and a clean tea towel and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Here are five reasons to prepare stuffing a la carte:
• Safety: When cooking poultry, it is crucial to follow proper temperature guides for doneness. Other meats can be enjoyed at different levels of doneness, but poultry is done when it’s done. Turkey is fully cooked when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 175F. At that point the turkey should be removed from the oven, tented with foil and left to rest for 25 minutes. When cooking a stuffed turkey, it is very important that a thermometer also be inserted into the thickest part of the stuffing. The thermometer should read a minimum of 165F. As a turkey cooks, juices that may contain salmonella will have been absorbed into the stuffing, therefore it is necessary to reach this temperature to kill any potentially harmful bacteria.
• Turkey quality: We put a lot of effort into selecting our holiday turkey. When turkey is cooked properly, it is juicy, tender and divine. Often stuffed birds require far longer in the oven to provide adequate time for the stuffing to cook — and in turn end up dry and overcooked.
• Texture: Stuffing cooked in the bird can be lovely, however, it is often slightly soggy. This is understandable given that bread is porous and continues to absorb the moisture of the bird as it cooks. One of the benefits of preparing your stuffing outside of the bird is that you can visually see the fruits of your labour. If you have browned your stuffing it will still be caramelized and crispy, vegetables can remain fork-tender without being overcooked, fresh herbs will still be bright and full of flavour. If you miss the flavour of the turkey juices in your stuffing, then simply stir some of the cooked drippings into your stuffing just prior to serving.
• Time: Stuffing can be prepared a day in advance and stored in your refrigerator. To reheat, be sure to arrange your racks appropriately prior to baking your turkey ensuring you save room for your dish of stuffing. To reheat the stuffing bake it on the lower rack, underneath the turkey.
• Appearance: While stuffing that is cooked in the bird can taste delicious, it often lacks a little something in the looks department. After all it’s been sweating inside a turkey for hours! A separate stuffing that accompanies the bird allows your dish to shine and can be a great visual addition to your holiday table.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake until mostly heated through, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until crispy edges form, about 15 to 20 minutes longer.