poultry
serves 8
1 turkey, weighing 3.6-4.5kg / 8-10lb, with the giblets
85g / 3oz butter, softened
45ml / 3 tbsp olive or groundnut oil
Chestnut Stuffing
Sausage and Apple Stuffing
For the Gravy
750ml / 11/4 pints good stock, made with the turkey
giblets, except the liver.
15ml / 1 tbsp plain flour ( all purpose ), optional
1-2 wineglasses of white wine
First make the chestnut stuffing. And then the sausagemeat
stuffing.
Use the chestnut mixture to stuff the neck cavity of the bird, skewering
the neck flap to secure it, and the sausage mixture for the body of the bird,
and skewering the rear opening secure.
Or put the stuffing in a buttered baking dish and cover with foil. Put
it in the oven with the turkey about 1 hour before the end of the cooking
time.
Tie the ends of the legs together and tuck the wingtips under the bird.
Spread the softened butter all over the turkey - the breasts, legs
and wings should all get their share. Put the bird into a roasting
tin and pour over the oil. Place the tin in the oven, and roast for
about 20 minutes per 450g / 1lb. It will take about three hours, depending
on your oven. The bird is best roasted slowly so that it will cook
evenly throughout.
Baste it frequently with the juices in the tin. When it is golden brown
all over, cover it loosely with foil, to prevent it getting too dark.
At the end of the cooking time turn off the oven, and, with the oven
door open, allow the bird to rest for 20 minutes, this will make it easier
to carve.
Take the bird out of the tin, set it on a heated platter and keep it hot.
Spoon most of the fat from the tin ( you can use it for frying potatoes
on some other occasion ). Then, if you like a slightly thickened gravy,
stir the flour into the juices and fat remaining. Pour in the wine
and let it boil for a few minutes over a medium heat, scraping up all the
brown sediment and caramelized juices from the tin.
Serve the gravy in a boat.