Recipe courtesy of Prima Magazine.
Sorry but I had to do a one turkey recipe 🙂
The butter and soft cheese eased gently under the skin of the turkey keeps the flesh wonderfully moist and full of flavour, while the rich fruity stuffing is really something else again.
Ingredients
Stuffing:
1oz (25g) butter
4oz (125g) onion, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
4oz (125g) smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped
4oz (125g) field or brown cap mushrooms, roughly chopped
3oz (75g) white bread
3oz (75g) no-soak dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 tblsp (15ml) chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp (7.5ml) dried tarragon
12oz (350g) good quality pork sausage-meat
4 tsp (20ml) wholegrain mustard
rind of 1 lemon
1 tblsp (15ml) lemon juice
For the butter:
8oz (225g) butter
4oz (125g) soft cheese
3oz (75g) toasted pine nuts, finely chopped
6 tblsp (90ml) chopped fresh mixed herbs, eg. parsley, thyme and chives
rind and juice of 1 lemon
10lb (4.5kg) oven ready turkey
Step One : To make the stuffing, heat butter in a pan and cook onion and garlic until beginning to soften. Add the bacon and mushrooms, and cook until all excess moisture has evaporated. Cool.
Step Two : Cut the bread into 1/2 in (1 cm) cubes. Add to mushroom mix with apricots, herbs, sausage-meat, mustard, grated lemon rind and 1 tblsp juice. Season.
Step Three : Mix butter, cheese, pine nuts, herbs and grated rind and juice of lemon with seasoning. Place mixture in a piping bag with a large plain nozzle.
Step Four : Preheat the oven to Mark 4 (350oF / 180oC). Place your fingers in between the skin and the breast meat at the neck end of the turkey and release the skin, making a pocket over the breast. Be careful not to rip the skin. Gradually pipe butter under the skin. Run your hands over the skin of the turkey to spread the butter evenly underneath.
Step Five : Spoon stuffing into neck end and secure with skewers.
Step Six : Cook in a roasting tin, covered with foil, for 3 1/2 – 4 hours, basting occasionally, or until golden brown. When cooked, the juices will run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the leg. Cook for a little longer if necessary
Step Seven : Leave the bird in a warm place on a serving dish for 20 minutes before carving.
Tip: Prepare ahead: Make the stuffing and butter the night before and refrigerate.