Roasted Turkey with Pistachio, Pancetta & Sage Upcycled Breadcrumb Stuffing

 

christmas turkey recipe

christmas turkey recipe

christmas turkey recipe

christmas turkey recipe

christmas turkey recipe

This classic way of cooking turkey is easy and simple, cooked with plenty of butter and on a bed of veggies and herbs. With minimal prep but with a few special ingredients, create a delicious and juicy turkey with some stuffing on the side. This recipe cooks the stuffing separately, and is the most delicious accompaniment to a good roasted turkey.

INGREDIENTS

Roasted turkey:

  • 1 turkey (approx. 3.5 kg) 
  • 70g butter (softened) 
  • 2 bunches of Dutch carrots (rinsed and green ends removed, optional to peel)
  • 1 onion (red or brown)
  • 10 garlic cloves (skin on)
  • 5-6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • several bay leaves (fresh or dry)
  • 1 bunch of fresh thyme 
  • salt

Stuffing:

  • 200g pancetta (diced)
  • 350g fresh sourdough bread (processed in a food processor until light and fluffy – keep some larger bits as it will create a lovely texture in the stuffing, you may need to do this in 2 batches)
  • 70g eschallots (diced)
  • 125g pistachios (roughly chopped)
  • 150g tart cherries (dried cherries)
  • ½ nutmeg (grated)
  • 60g butter (softened)
  • 4-5 leaves of fresh sage (roughly chopped)
  • 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary (sprigs removed and roughly chopped)
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 1 cup water 
  • salt

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 
  2. Slice the onion into wedges and place into a large baking tray along with the dutch carrots, the garlic cloves and the herbs. Place the turkey on top and use your hands to spread the butter all over the turkey surface. Tie the legs of the turkey together with a piece of string. Sprinkle with salt and cover with aluminium foil. Place the tray into the oven and cook the turkey for 30-40 mines per kg, so if your turkey weighs 3.5kg then cook it for 1 hour and 45 minutes minimum. In the last 30 minutes remove the foil from the tray and allow the turkey skin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, put aside the Dutch carrots, cover the turkey again with foil and rest in the tray. All of the juices will come to the bottom of the tray (you can make a gravy with the juices and veggies in the tray by cooking them in a small pot with a little bit of extra water/white wine, then strain and add 1/3 cup or slightly more of flour + salt – depending what consistency you like)
  3. Whilst the turkey is cooking prepare the stuffing by mixing all of the stuffing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Mix through well until all the ingredients are combined and place into a buttered small baking tray. Brush some olive oil over the surface. Once the turkey is out of the oven and resting, increase the oven to 200 degrees and bake the stuffing for 20-30 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and you can see the stuffing has slightly shrank. 
  4. Serve the turkey with the Dutch carrots, the stuffing and a relish (like cranberry or redcurrant) or gravy.

Note:

  • You can prepare the stuffing separately in advance the morning of or the day before serving – just keep aside and reheat lightly before serving. 

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time (Turkey): 30-40 minutes per KG (cooking time based on the weight of your turkey)
Cook time (Stuffing): 30 minutes
Serves: 6-10 people

Recipe by Anastasia Zolotarev. Click here to see her blog.