This certainly is a roast turkey fit for your festive table and it doesn’t need to take you all day to prepare. The stuffing and glaze can easily be made in advance, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the festivities. The orange zest butter, infuses the turkeys breast, making it juicy and flavourful and the orange marmalade glaze, gives the birds outer skin a sweet sticky crispness. A stuffing, of salty bacon and sweet cranberries add tons more flavour to this festive meal.
3 1/2 kg Whole turkey
6 tbsp Butter, room temperature
1 tsp Crushed garlic
2 tsp Orange zest
10 Sprigs fresh thyme leaves, stalks removed
1/2 cup Orange marmalade
4 Onions, peeled and cut into rounds
2 cups Orange juice
1/2 cup Water
FLM freshly ground salt and pepper
6 rashers back bacon, finely sliced
1 med onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
1 large handful dried cranberries
1 cup FLM apple juice
1/2 tsp ground allspice
FLM freshly ground salt and pepper
Zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 cups pork sausage meat
1 free-range egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
Melt the butter in a pan and add the bacon, finely chopped onions, celery and rosemary.
Cook on a medium heat for about 8 mins.
Add the cranberries and the apple juice.
Cook for a further 10 mins, then set it aside to cool.
Mix in the allspice, freshly ground salt and pepper, orange zest, pork sausage meat, egg and breadcrumbs.
Set it aside.
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of orange juice, marmalade and butter to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp butter, orange zest, garlic and the thyme leaves. Loosen the skin of the turkey from the meat with your fingers, working your way around the whole bird.
Take the butter mixture and push it under the loosened skin, spreading it around as much as possible.
Season the outside of the turkey with freshly ground salt and pepper.
Now, take the preprepared stuffing mixture and push that into the cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs together and place the turkey onto the onion slices that have been spread over the base of a roasting dish.
Pour 1 cup of orange juice and the water into the dish.
Loosely, cover with tin foil and place the dish into a preheated, 240C oven for 15 mins.
Then, turn the heat down to 150 C and allow it to cook for about 3 hours.
Remove the tin foil from the turkey, about an hour before the end of the cooking time and brush it liberally with the cooled glaze.
Allow the bird to rest for 20 minutes before serving.
