INGREDIENTS
- For the stuffing:
- 50g/2oz wild & long grain rice
- 6 good quality sausages, skinned
- 100g/4oz cooked chestnuts, crumbled
- 4 tbsp Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries
- Finely grated rind of 1 small orange
- 50g/2oz fresh white breadcrumbs
- 25g/1oz butter 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 3 large fresh sage leaves, shredded
- For the turkey:
- 4.5kg/10lb turkey, thawed if frozen, giblets removed
- 1 orange, quartered
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 25g/1oz butter
- 12 rashers smoked Pancetta
DIRECTIONS
DIRECTIONS
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, then drain, rinse under cold running water, drain and place in a large mixing bowl with the sausage meat, chestnuts, Craisins® Dried Cranberries, orange rind and breadcrumbs.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan and sauté the onion and sage for 7-8 minutes over a low heat until softened but not coloured. Tip into the stuffing mixture and mix to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Push the stuffing into the neck end of the bird pushing it well up between the two breasts of the bird, then secure the skin underneath the bird with a skewer and place in a large roasting tin. Push the quartered orange and rosemary into the cavity of the bird and tie the legs together to
give the turkey a good shape. Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time at 18 minutes per 450g/1lb. (it should work out to about 3 hours 30 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 190C/fan oven 170C/ Gas mark 5. Season the turkey with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the pancetta over the turkey breast in a lattice pattern. Cover loosely with foil and roast for the calculated time, checking and basting with any meat juices every 45 minutes.
Check to see if the turkey is cooked by pushing a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear, cover the turkey and leave to rest for 20 minutes before carving. If the juices are pink, return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes before testing again in the same way.
TIPS:
* Serve with all the usual trimmings - sausages wrapped in pancetta and tossed with a little Ocean Spray® Wholeberry Cranberry Sauce and roasted with the turkey for the last 20-25 minutes taste great!
* Use the pan juices to make a rich golden gravy. Simply pour white wine into the pan juices and boil off the alcohol, then thicken with a paste of flour and butter mashed together. Add a spring of fresh rosemary and the juice of an orange if liked.
