A delicious recipe for Turkey from chef Cathal Armstrong, learned from his da!
Ingredients
- 6.8 kg (15lb) turkey (purchased from a local farmers' market)
- 1 package of rashers (not smoked)
- aluminum foil
- for the stuffing:
- 500 ml chicken broth
- 230 g diced bacon
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 1 large waxy potato (diced)
- 1 diced bread loaf (i use home sourdough bread)
- 4 tblsp parsley (fresh and chopped)
- 2 tblsp rosemary (fresh and chopped)
- 2 tblsp thyme (fresh and chopped)
- 3 tblsp sage (fresh and chopped)
- 5 eggs
- salt and pepper
Method
- Toast the bread in an oven until golden brown. Boil the potato until just tender then run cold water over to cool, strain. Render the bacon in a sauté pan and then sweat the onion in the fat. In a bowl, combine the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stuff the turkey with the stuffing - sew up the opening if needed. Cover this area with foil. Place the turkey on a baking rack set inside a baking sheet, or place turkey on a traditional turkey baking pan with a raised rack. Add approx 950ml/2 pints cold water. This will steam the bird and keep it moist. Cover the breast of the turkey with strips of bacon, followed by a layer of foil to cover this area ONLY.
- Place into the oven at 150°C/300°F or Gas Mark 2. (see below for timings)
- One hour from finish cooking time, remove the foil from stuffing section and the breast section along with the bacon. Turn up the temperature to 200°C or 400°F or Gas Mark 6.
- For the Pan Gravy:
- Once the bird has been removed from the oven, add a small amount of chicken broth to the pan drippings. With a whisk, get the drippings and the liquid moving around. In a separate bowl make a roux (flour and butter mixed together) then add this to a saucepan followed by the chicken broth with pan drippings. Add chicken stock to adjust for consistency. Bring to a boil until it thickens to a brown gravy. Once the gravy has come to a thick consistency, remove from the heat and strain through a fine strainer. Ready to serve.
Notes
* 15 minutes of oven bake time per pound plus 15 minutes, 150°C 300°F gas mark 2 to begin . Do not use a meat thermometer - and throw that pop up thing away. . Nothing beats fresh chicken broth. . Save the turkey bones to make soup, post-Christmas ** Always open one of your best bottles of wine while preparing the turkey. *** Let the turkey rest for at least 1/2 hour or 45mins before carving
