Roast Turkey With Herby Pork And Apricot Stuffing

Roast Turkey With Herby Pork And Apricot Stuffing
4.5 from 2 ratings
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You cannot miss the bright citrus flavor in this roasted turkey. It incorporates an entire orange, dried apricots and zest of 1 lemon. This recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's "Cook With Jamie" appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Prep Time
60
minutes
Cook Time
3.65
hours
Servings
8
servings
Roast turkey with herby pork and apricot stuffing
Total time: 5.65 hours
Ingredients
  • olive oil
  • 1 sprig fresh sage, leaves picked
  • 6 strips pancetta or thinly sliced bacon
  • 1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves
  • 4 medium red onions, peeled
  • 2 ribs celery, trimmed, chopped
  • 1 big handful breadcrumbs
  • 1 handful dried apricots
  • 10 ounce ground pork
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • pinch of grated nutmeg
  • 1 large egg
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 small sprigs fresh rosemary, plus a few extra
  • 12 pound turkey, at room temperature
  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • 1 large orange
  • 2 tablespoon plain flour
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to maximum.
  2. Heat a saucepan until medium hot and add a splash of olive oil, sage leaves and the pancetta or bacon.
  3. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion.
  4. Add garlic, celery and onion to saucepan and fry everything gently until soft and golden brown.
  5. Take the pan off the heat, add the breadcrumbs and, while the mix is cooling down, chop the apricots roughly and stir them in.
  6. When the stuffing has cooled down, add the pork, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg and lots of salt and pepper, and mix everything together well.
  7. Chop remaining onions in half and slice carrots thickly.
  8. Give turkey a good wipe, inside and out, with paper towels, and place it on a board, with the neck end toward you.
  9. Find the edge of the skin that's covering the turkey's breasts and gently peel it back.
  10. Work your fingers and then your hand under the skin, freeing it from the meat. If you're careful you should be able to pull all the skin away from the meat, keeping it attached at the sides. Go slowly and try not to make any holes.
  11. Lift the loose skin at the neck end and spoon the stuffing between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop anything leaking out.
  12. Pop the orange in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm it up and stuff it into the cavity.
  13. Weigh the stuffed turkey and calculate the cooking time (about 15 minutes per 1 pound).
  14. Place the bird on a large roasting pan, rub it all over with olive oil and season well.
  15. Surround with the chopped carrots, onions and remaining garlic, cover with tinfoil and place in the oven.
  16. Turn the heat down right away to 350 degrees, and roast until the juices run clear from the thigh if you pierce it with a knife or a skewer. Remove the tinfoil for the last 45 minutes to brown the bird.
  17. Carefully transfer the bird to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil; allow to rest, at least 1 hour.
  18. When the resting time's nearly up, skim the surface fat from the roasting pan and add the flour and stock.
  19. Place the tray on the stovetop and bring to a boil on a high heat.
  20. When the gravy starts to thicken, strain it into a bowl.
  21. Carve your turkey, serve with the gravy and dig in!
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