Delectably simple roast that looks smart served with stuffing balls and sausages and garnished with bay leaves.
1 onion, peeled and quartered
fresh bay sprig and leaves, to flavour and serve
4.5–5.6kg/10–12lb Bronze turkey, giblets removed
1 quantity of your favourite stuffing
85g/3oz butter, softened
1 whole nutmeg
10 rashers streaky bacon
1 glass red wine, such as Merlot
extra stuffing balls and sausages wrapped in bacon, to serve
salt and pepper, to season
Takes 20 minutes, plus 3–3½ hours cooking • Serves 8–10 with leftovers (Calculate turkey cooking time at 20 minutes per kilo, plus 90 minutes)
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5/fan oven 170°C. Put onion and bay sprig in the cavity between the turkey legs. Pack stuffing into the neck end. Secure neck end flap with skewers, tie legs together. Weigh turkey and calculate cooking time as left.
2 Lay turkey in a roasting tin. Smear with the butter, grate over half the nutmeg, season. Cover breast with bacon, pour over the wine, cover with a loose tent of foil.
3 Roast for calculated time. About 90 minutes before the end, open the foil, discard bacon and fat, then continue roasting until brown, basting several times. To test if cooked, push a skewer into thickest part of the thigh – the juices should run clear. Transfer turkey to a platter, cover with foil, let rest 20–30 minutes.
• Per serving 476 kcals, protein 74g, carbohydrate none, fat 19g, saturated fat 7g, fibre none, sugar none, salt 0.69g