Post by Paulinemom on Nov 15, 2006 17:56:08 GMT
Liven up your roast turkey with these tasty accompaniments.
Serves:8
Preparation time:30 minutes
Cooking time:2 hours
Ingredients
1 x 5.2kg (12lb 7oz) turkey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
50 g butter
A fresh herb bundle to garnish
125 g dried apricots, chopped
454 g butchers choice Lincolnshire sausages, skinned
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
25 g plain flour
100 ml pale cream sherry or dry white wine
300 ml water, reserved from cooking potatoes
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F, Gas 6. Wash and dry the turkey, including the inside and remove the wishbone - this should make it easier to carve.
Garnish the turkey with herbs, if wished.
Turkey Tips
Cracking the backbone will make it easier to balance in the roasting tin.
To make carving easier, remove the wishbone before cooking.
Don't over-fill the neck cavity with stuffing or the skin will split when cooking.
By cooking the bird breast-side down, the juices from the legs will baste the breast meat, keeping it moist.
If the skin is over-browning, then cover it with foil.
Note that ovens vary, so be sure to check the turkey is cooked through and the juices run clear before serving.
Mix the sausage meat with the apricots and zest, then use to stuff the neck end of the turkey.
Secure the wings with a metal skewer and tie the legs together.
Smear the butter over the turkey breast, then place on its side in a roasting tin.
Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes.
Baste well, then turn the turkey onto its other side and cook for a further 45 minutes.
Turn the turkey breast side up, baste well and, if necessary, put a small piece of foil over the stuffing area so it doesn't over-brown. Cook for 1 hour more.
Baste once again, and if wished, remove the foil for the final 30 minutes to brown the skin.
To test if the bird is cooked, insert a metal skewer into the thickest part of the leg and count to 10. The skewer should be hot and the juices should run clear.
Remove the turkey from the tin, set on a large warmed plate. Cover with foil and leave to rest, for 15 minutes, while you make the gravy.
Pour any excess fat from the roasting tin and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring on the hob for 1 minute, then stir in the sherry/wine and loosen any bits from the pan.
Add the water and simmer for 5 minutes. Season, pour in any juices from around the turkey, then strain into a small saucepan and keep warm.