Ingredients
1. 50g/2oz butter
2. a sprig of fresh sage, leaves picked
3. 12 strips of pancetta or thinly sliced
streaky bacon
4. 1 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
5. 4 medium red onions, peeled
6. 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and
chopped
7. a big handful of breadcrumbs
8. a handful of dried apricots
9. 300g/10½ oz minced pork
10. zest of 1 lemon
11. a pinch of grated nutmeg
12. 1 large free-range or organic egg
13. sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
14. 12 small fresh rosemary sprigs,
plus a few extra
15. 4-4.5kg/9-10lb turkey, preferably
free-range or organic, at room
temperature
16. 2 carrots, peeled
17. 1 large orange
18. olive oil
19. 2 tablespoons plain flour
20. 1.1litres/2 pints chicken or
vegetable stock
Method
One of the biggest challenges when cooking a turkey is
the legs take longer than the breasts. The breasts dry out
in the oven while you're waiting for the legs to cook. Try
pushing stuffing between the turkey's skin and breasts,
increasing the thickness of the breasts so they take the
same time to cook as the legs. The result? Juicy turkey
all round! yummy!
1. Preheat the oven to maximum. Heat a saucepan until medium hot and drop in the butter, sage leaves
and 6 of the pancetta or bacon strips. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion. Add garlic, celery
and onion to the saucepan and fry everything gently until soft and golden brown. Take the pan off
the heat, add the breadcrumbs and, while the mix is cooling down, chop the apricots roughly and
stir them in. When the stuffi ng has cooled down, add the pork, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg and lots of
salt and pepper, and mix everything together well.
2. Slice the remaining strips of pancetta or bacon in half and slice 1 peeled garlic clove into thin slivers.
Place a rosemary sprig and a garlic sliver on one end of a halved strip of pancetta and roll it up
tightly. Repeat with the other pieces of pancetta until you have 12 little rolls. Stab the thighs and
drumsticks of the turkey in 6 places on each side. Push a little pancetta roll into each hole until it
just peeps out. This'll give your turkey thighs a fantastic fl avour and will keep them moist while they
cook.
3. Chop the remaining onions in half and slice the carrots thickly. Give your turkey a good wipe, inside
and out, with kitchen paper, and place it on a board, with the neck end towards you. Find the edge
of the skin that's covering the turkey's breasts and gently peel it back. Work your fi ngers and then
your hand under the skin, freeing it from the meat. Lift the loose skin at the neck end and spoon the
stuffi ng between the skin and the breast, tucking the fl ap of skin underneath to stop anything leaking
out. Pop the orange in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm it up and stuff it into the cavity. Weigh
the stuffed turkey and calculate the cooking time (about 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz).
4. Place the bird on a large roasting tray, rub it all over with olive oil and season well. Surround with
the chopped carrots, onions, garlic, cover with tinfoil and place in the oven. Turn the heat down right
away to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, and roast for the calculated time, or until the juices run clear from the
thigh if you pierce with it a knife or a skewer. Remove the tinfoil for the last 45 minutes to brown the
bird. Carefully lift the turkey out of the tray and rest on a board that's for 20 minutes while you fi nish
off the veg and gravy. Skim the surface fat from the roasting tray and add the fl our and stock. Place
the tray on the hob and bring to the boil on a high heat. When the gravy starts to thicken, strain it
into a bowl. Carve your turkey, serve with the gravy and dig in!
Taken from the book "Cook with Jamie"
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