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Ingredients For the Turkey:
- 1 Large turkey
- 250g (½ lb) Bacon.
- Salt and pepper.
Ingredients For the Stuffing:
- 1kg (2 lb) Pork sausage meat.
- 2 Tablespoons dried sage.
- 1 Chopped onion.
- 4 Tablespoons breadcrumbs.
- ¼ Cup boiling water.
- Salt and pepper.
Method:
First, make the stuffing. Combine the onion, sage and breadcrumbs together in a large bowl. Pour on boiling water and mix it to a paste. Add the sausage meat, season it with salt and pepper and mix it by hand. Use good quality sausage meat. Set the stuffing aside. Pre heat the oven to 218ºC | 425ºF. Wash the turkey, pat dry and place on a flat surface. Stuff the turkey at both ends. Begin with the neck end and push it up between the flesh and the skin towards the breasts. Do not pack the stuffing too tightly because it will expand while cooking.
Tuck the neck flap under the bottom of the turkey and, if necessary, attach with a small skewer. Put the rest in the body cavity. Next, rub the turkey all over with butter. Massage the bird good with butter and get the whole bird covered. Season again with a good amount of salt and freshly ground pepper, all over. Lay your bacon strips across the top of the turkey.
Wrap the turkey in foil now. Make sure you got enough tinfoil the bird must be closely wrap with tinfoil. If you like you could use a cooking bag too. Place the turkey in on a roasting tin and place the tin in the oven. Cook at 218ºC | 425ºF for about 30 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 160ºC | 320ºF cook then for a further 3 to 3 ½ hours for a 5.4kg to 6.4kg | (12 lb to 14 lb) bird.
Cooking time always depend on the size of a turkey. The best and safest way to cook a turkey is to use a food thermometer. A turkey should have an interior temperature of 74ºC | 165ºF to be properly cooked and the juices should run clear. Take the top half of the foil tent off and turn the temperature back up to 200ºC | 392ºF. Don't throw this foil away. Remove the bacon slices and allow the skin to crisp.
Cook at this temperature for another 30 to 45 minute until the skin is a golden color. Baste frequently during this part of the cooking process. When the turkey is cooked, remove from the oven and transfer the turkey to a warmed carving tray or cutting board. Place the top of the foil tent back over the bird and let sit for 30 minutes.
This is the time to finish cooking all the trimmings and if you are cooking roast potatoes, you can turn the oven back up to crisp them off. Use the fat and juices left sitting in the foil to add to the gravy youhad already made. (gravy for the turkey recipe is below). Remove the stuffing from the inside and place on the serving platter. If you are going to carve the turkey at the table, use a carving plate.
Serve with roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, veggies and whatever else you like to have with your turkey.
Gravy for your Turkey:
Ingredients:
- 6 Tablespoons butter.
- 2½ Tablespoons flour.
- 2 Sliced onion.
- 946ml (32 fld oz) Stock giblets from a turkey.
- Salt and pepper.
- 10ml (.34 oz) Worcestershire sauce.
Method:
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sliced onion and cook for about 10 minutes until beginning to brown. If you have giblets, wash them and throw them in after about 6 minutes. If the giblets includes the neck you can throw that in too. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Take the sauce pan off the heat and slowly add the stock, stirring all the time. Do not stop stirring. Keep going until all the stock is added.
Return to the heat and bring to the boil, and keep on stirring. When the gravy comes to the boil, it should start to thicken. Turn the heat down very low, add a little salt and pepper 10ml (.34 oz) of Worcestershire sauce for color and then simmer for appoximately an hour. When your turkey is ready, use a slotted spoon to remove the giblets from the gravy. Remove your giblets. When the turkey is ready and is taken off the roasting pan and placed on the cutting board, pour all the juices in the pan or foil into the gravy mix and bring back to the boil.
When the turkey is carved, if there are any little bits and pieces left on the cutting board, throw them into your gravy as well. Serve the gravy with roast turkey, roast potatoes or any other dish.
Enjoy :-)