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Christmas Turkey Recipes :

You'll need:

A Turkey (preferably fresh) weighing between 4.5kg and 5.5kg
appprox 200g butter
some streaky bacon
stuffing
salt and pepper

STOCK for the gravy:

Method:

Remove the giblets if there are any and use them, except for the liver, to make stock for the gravy. Place them in a pan with a chopped onion and carrot. Add a bay leaf, a few sprigs of parselyand some black peppercorns. Cover with about 600 ml of water. Bring it all to the boil and allow to simmer for about an hour. Strain to remove all the solid bits.

Preparing The Turkey

Stuff the turkey, from the neck end, with your stuffing of choice. Don't pack it in too tightly as it will need room to expand a little as it cooks. Tuck the flap of skin back and secure it with a little skewer to stop the stuffing escaping! Make sure that, if either the turkey or the stuffing has been chilled or frozen, that they are both now at room temperature to ensure that they cook through.
Rub the turkey thoroughly with softened butter; season with salt and pepper. Cover this mixture with the rashers of streaky bacon.
Wrap the turkey loosely in tin foil, placing it in the roasting tin. Make sure the foil is sealed but leaving enough room for the air to move around inside the parcel.
Don't forget to take the weight of the stuffing into account when working out the cooking times of the Turkey.

Cooking The Turkey

Place the turkey in a pre-heated oven at gas 7, 425degrees F or 220 degrees C, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes reduce the oven temperature to gas 3, 325 degrees F or 170 degrees C. for a further 3 and a half hours. Remove the bird from the oven and increase the temperature to gas 6, 400degrees F or 200 degrees C. Open the foil parcel, removing the foil from the top and sides.Remove the bacon rashers. Baste the turkey thoroughly and return to the now hotter oven for about 30 to 40 minutes to finish cooking and become attractively golden. Poke a thick part with a skewer to check that it's cooked - if it is then the juices will run clear.

For other weights base the cooking on the following times (these are weights when stuffed):

2.5kg to 3.5kg for about 2.5 hours to 3 hours.
3.5kg to 4.5 kg for about 3 to 4 hours
4.5 kg to 5.5kg for about 4 hours to 4.5 hours
5.5kg to 6.5kg for about 4.5 hours to 5 hours

Accompaniments

Alternative or extra stuffings can be put into a buttered dish, covered with foil and baked for 40 minutes or so.

When you serve up your turkey surround it with the bits of crispy bacon and small sausages wrapped round with pancetta before roasting.