Traditional Roast Turkey with Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffing:
Serves 10-12


Ingredients:
1 Turkey, about 6.3 kg oven-ready
175g butter, softened
225g rashers of streaky bacon, very fatty
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper

Stuffing
900g pork sausage meat, good-quality or finely minced pure pork
2 tsp dried sage
1 large onion, grated or very finely chopped
4 tbsp white breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper

Gravy
2 tbsp plain flour
900ml turkey giblet stock, giblet stock

Method:
1. Before you start, please bear in mind that it is important to take the turkey out of the fridge last thing
on Christmas Eve to allow it to come to room temperature so that it heats up immediately you put it in the
oven. The same applies to the stuffing (you can make this on Christmas Eve, ahead of time), and you
also need to remove the 175 g of butter to soften ready for the morning.

2. To make the stuffing, combine the breadcrumbs with the onion and sage in a large mixing bowl, then
stir in a little boiling water and mix thoroughly. Next work the sausagemeat or minced pork and egg, if
using, into this mixture and season with salt and pepper. Leave the stuffing covered in a cool place -
but not in the fridge, as it shouldn't be too cold when you come to stuff the turkey.

3. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Begin, on the morning of cooking, by stuffing the turkey. Loosen the skin
with your hands and pack the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it up between the flesh and the skin
towards the breast (though not too tightly because it will expand during the cooking). Press it in gently
to make a nice rounded end, then tuck the neck flap under the bird's back and secure with a small
skewer. Don't expect to get all the stuffing in this end - put the rest into the body cavity.

4. Now arrange two large sheets of foil across your baking tin - one of them widthways, the other
lengthways (no need to butter them). Lay the turkey on its back in the centre, then rub it generously
all over with the butter, making sure the thighbones are particularly well covered. Next season the
bird all over with salt and pepper, and lay the bacon over the breast with the rashers overlapping each
other.

5. The idea now is to wrap the turkey in the foil. The parcel must be firmly sealed but roomy enough
inside to provide an air space around most of the upper part of the turkey. So bring one piece of foil up
and fold both ends over to make a pleat along the length of the breastbone - but well above the breast.
Then bring the other piece up at both ends, and crimp and fold to make a neat parcel.

6. Place the roasting tin on a low shelf in the oven and cook at the initial high temperature for 40 minutes.
After that, lower the heat to gas mark 170°C and cook for a further 3 hours for a 5-6 kg bird, or 4 hours
for a 7-8 kg bird. Then tear the foil away from the top and sides of the bird and remove the bacon slices
to allow the skin to brown and crisp. The bacon rashers can be placed on a heat-proof plate and put back
in the oven to finish cooking till all the fat has melted and there are just very crisp bits left. (I like to serve
these crunchy bits with the turkey as well as bacon rolls.) Turn the heat up to 200°C and cook the turkey
for a further 30 minutes. The turkey will need frequent basting during this time, so the whole operation will
probably take nearer 40-45 minutes.

7. To test if the bird is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the leg with a thin skewer: the juices running out
of it should be golden and clear. And the same applies to any part of the bird tested - there should be no
trace of pinkness in the juices. You can also give the leg a little tug, to make sure there is some give in it.

8. Then remove it from the roasting tin (using a carving fork and fish slice) and transfer it to a warm carving
dish. If you can engage someone's help while lifting it, it's a good idea to tip the turkey to let the excess
juice run out. Leave the turkey in a warmish place for 30-60 minutes to 'relax' before carving: provided
it's not in a draught it will stay hot for that length of time, and it will give you a chance to turn the heat up
in the oven to crisp the roast potatoes.

9. Meanwhile, to make the gravy, tip all the fat and juices out of the foil into the roasting tin. Spoon off all
the fat from the juice in a corner of the tin, then work the flour into the remaining juices over a low heat.
Now, using a balloon whisk, whisk in the Turkey Giblet Stock bit by bit, until you have a smooth gravy.
Let it bubble and reduce a bit to concentrate the flavour, and taste and season with salt and pepper.
(And when you have carved the turkey, pour any escaped juices into the gravy.)