Roast turkey with Italian sausage and chestnut stuffing recipe

An amazing Christmas turkey served with all the trimmings. The stuffing is simply sensational, full of many Italian favourites.

Ingredients

1. 4.5kg oven-ready turkey with giblets
2. 2 lemons
3. 3 large fresh rosemary sprigs
4. 4 fresh bay leaves
5. 1 small bunch of fresh parsley stalks
6. 50g butter, at room temperature

For the stuffing

1. 25g dried porcini mushrooms
2. 30g butter
3. 100g pancetta, chopped
4. 1 large onion, finely chopped
5. 500g good-quality pork sausages, skins removed
6. 200g cooked and peeled chestnuts (we like Merchant Gourmet), coarsely chopped
7. 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
8. 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
9. 25g fresh white breadcrumbs
10. 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Method

1. 1. Remove the turkey from the fridge. Take out the giblets and cover and chill the rest until you make the gravy. Make the stuffing. Put the porcini mushrooms into a bowl and cover with 150ml boiling water. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
2. 2. Meanwhile, melt the butter for the stuffing in a frying pan. Add the pancetta and fry over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Add the onion and fry for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquor for the gravy (see recipe), and coarsely chop. Add to the frying pan with the turkey liver, if using, and cook for another minute. Tip into a bowl and leave to go cold. This is important, especially if you are stuffing the turkey the day before you want to cook it. Add the sausagemeat, chestnuts, herbs, breadcrumbs, nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. 3. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Remove any bits of feathers from the turkey with tweezers.
4. 4. Spoon some of the stuffing into the neck cavity, rounding it to give the bird a nice shape, then secure the flap of skin back with a small, fine skewer. Put the rest of the stuffing into a lightly greased baking dish, cover and set aside.
5. 5. Spike the lemons all over with a skewer. Season the body cavity and then push in the lemons, rosemary, bay leaves and parsley stalks. Secure with string then weigh the bird and calculate the cooking time, allowing 20 minutes per kilo plus 90 minutes (for turkeys weighing less than 4kg, cook for 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes).
6. 6. Pour 300ml water into a large roasting tin and place a rack in or over the tin. Rest the turkey on the rack, spread the butter all over the bird and season. Cover the turkey and tin with foil. Bake for the calculated cooking time, uncovering the turkey for the last 30 minutes to brown the skin. Push a fine skewer into the thickest part of the turkey leg. If the juices run clear, it’s cooked. If there are any traces of pink, return to the oven for 15 minutes or until the juices are clear.
7. 7. Remove the turkey from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Lift the turkey onto a carving board. Cover with the foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes. Strain the cooking juices into a jug and leave to settle. Skim off the excess fat from the surface then use what’s left to make the gravy. Add the baking dish of leftover stuffing to the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
8. 8. Carve the turkey. Use the cooking juices to make the gravy (see recipe). Serve with all the accompaniments.

Nutritional info

Per serving (based on 8): 541kcals, 29.3g fat (13g saturated), 49g protein, 21.8g carbs, 4.7g sugar, 2.2g salt

Wine Recommendation

Wine note: Pick a red wine with loads of ripe fruit character and a twist of pepper in the finish. Syrah or Shiraz is a wise choice, or another sure winner is Californian Zinfandel, which combines rich raspberry flavours with spicy hints.