Cranberry and maple glazed turkey with butternut and pecan stuffing and sherry gravy
This Christmas, serve succulent roast turkey smothered in sweet and zesty cranberry sauce and paired with nutty butternut squash and pecan stuffing. Recipe and image courtesy of Golden Turkey, goldenturkeys.co.uk. Chef: Rachel Green Photography: Michael Powell
Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 3 hrs 30 mins
Total: 4 hrs 15 mins
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- 1 x 5kg Golden Turkey
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Onions (2 peeled and quartered, 1 coarsely grated)
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Carrots (peeled and cut into large chunks)
- 2 Sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 300ml Water
- 200g Dried cranberries
- 400g Frozen cranberries
- 3 tbsp Finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 200g Caster sugar
- 4 tbsp Maple syrup
- 1 Large orange (zest and juice)
- 3 x Star anise
- 150g Melted butter
- 200g Smoked bacon lardons
- 200g Butternut squash (roughly cubed and cooked)
- 200g Breadcrumbs
- 150g Pecans (finely chopped)
- 1 Lemon (zest)
- 3 tbsp Chopped fresh parsley
- 500ml Chicken stock
- 150ml Sherry
- 3 tbsp Plain flour
- 1 tsp Marmite
- 30g Butter
Method
Step 1
A couple of hours before cooking, take the turkey out of the fridge, remove any trussing string along with the giblets. After 2 hours, season with a little sea salt and black pepper and place a couple of the onion quarters inside the cavity. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Place in a large roasting tin, breast side down, along with the giblets, bay leaf, remaining onion quarters, carrots, sprigs of rosemary and water. Roast for 1½ hours.
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the cranberry sauce and stuffing. For the cranberry sauce, place the dried cranberries, frozen cranberries, 2 tbsp rosemary leaves, caster sugar, maple syrup, orange zest and juice and star anise into a saucepan with a dash of water and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer until the fruit has softened then remove from the heat and leave to one side.
Step 3
For the stuffing, put the melted butter, coarsely grated onion, bacon lardons, butternut squash, breadcrumbs, pecans, remaining rosemary leaves, lemon zest and parsley into a mixing bowl and gently fork the mixture together until combined. Season to taste. Divide the mixture into 12 equal sized balls, weighing for accuracy, if you like. Place stuffing balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment, set aside.
Step 4
After 1½ hours, turn the turkey over and roast for a further hour, basting at least twice during the cooking time. Remove from the oven, spread two-thirds of the cranberry sauce over the top of the turkey and put back into the oven for a further 15 minutes, basting twice. Once cooked, remove the turkey from the roasting tin and allow to rest for at least an hour, uncovered, in a warm place.
Step 5
Meanwhile, cook the stuffing balls in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and keep warm.
Step 6
For the gravy, strain the juices from the roasting tray through a sieve into a saucepan. Skim off most of the fat from the top and add enough chicken stock to make 1 litre (1¾ pints) of liquid. Deglaze the roasting tray with the sherry and strain this into the saucepan too. Mix the flour into a paste with a little cold water and whisk into the liquid in the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil, whisking all the time. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Whisk in the Marmite and butter and check the seasoning. If the gravy is a little too thick, add a little more of the chicken stock.
Step 7
Carve the turkey and serve with the stuffing balls, gravy, and remaining cranberry sauce, along with vegetables and sides of your choice. Cook's tip: Use a meat thermometer pushed into the thickest part of the thigh to check that the turkey is fully cooked – the temperature should read around 68-70°C (154-158°F) and the juices should run clear.
