Traditional roast turkey

Method

1 Remove the turkey from the fridge 45min before stuffing to take the chill off it. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a frying pan, then fry onions and celery gently for 10min until soft but not coloured. Tip into a bowl with all the other stuffing ingredients apart from the single egg yolk. Season and mix well. Halve the mixture and set aside one half. Mix yolk into the remaining stuffing, then roll into small walnut-sized balls. Cover and chill.

2 Put turkey on a board and lift the neck flap. Use your fingers to ease the skin gently away from the flesh. Put the reserved stuffing inside, taking care not to overfill. Turn the turkey over on to its breast, pull the neck flap down and over the stuffing and secure with a wooden skewer.

3 Put the lemon and bay leaves inside the cavity, then put the turkey into a large roasting tin. Season and secure the legs with string. Soak a 1m (3ft 2in) square piece of butter muslin in the melted butter, fold in half and wrap loosely all the way round the turkey. Roast for 3½hr.

4 Wrap each chipolata in a pancetta slice. Remove muslin from turkey, add bacon rolls and cook for 40min, basting after 20min. (When it’s cooked – the juices will run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife – see cook’s tips for what to do next.) Put the red onions, shallots and garlic into a separate roasting tin. Add stuffing balls, drizzle with oil, cover with foil, then cook in oven for 40min, removing foil after 20min.
 
Cook’s tips
Butter muslin is available from cookware shops.
When the turkey is cooked…
Remove from oven and leave to rest in the tin. When you’re ready to make the gravy, lift the bird – you may need help
– and tip any juices back into the roasting tin. Set aside for the gravy. Transfer the turkey to a warm platter and cover loosely with foil and a clean tea towel for 40min while you cook the onions and stuffing and make the gravy (see page 228).

To serve
Stuff the turkey cavity with bay leaves and fresh rosemary.

Prepare ahead
Make the bacon rolls up to two days before. Cover and chill.
Make the stuffing up to the end of step 1. Put the half without the egg yolk into a freezerproof container, then freeze for up to one month. Freeze the stuffing balls on a tray, then put into a freezerproof container and freeze for up to a month.

To use
Thaw overnight at cool room temperature. Complete the recipe.