SERVES 6
PER SERVING
413 CALORIES
6.7G FAT
PREPARATION TIME 20 MINUTES
COOKING TIME 2–3 HOURS
1 × 1.8kg turkey crown
1 head celery
1 red onion, peeled
redcurrants to garnish
for the stuffing
2 leeks, finely chopped
100g granary breadcrumbs
100g Bowyers 95% fat-free sausages, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
1 Make the stuffing by dry-frying the leeks in a preheated non-stick pan until soft. Spoon into a mixing bowl, then mix in the remaining ingredients, adding a little boiling water from a kettle. Put aside and leave to cool.
2 Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time from the instructions given (or allow 15 minutes per 450g plus an extra 20 minutes). Preheat the oven to 190C, 375F, gas mark 5.
3 Rinse the turkey well under running cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place the prepared stuffing under the skin, then fold the skin over to keep the stuffing in place.
4 Place the head of celery on a wire rack and sit the turkey on top.
5 Cut the onion into wedges and arrange around the turkey.
6 Place the wire rack over the roasting tin and pour 600ml water into the tin, around the rack.
7 Cover with foil and roast in the oven, basting occasionally with the juices.
8 Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest for 5–15 minutes before carving.
9 Garnish with redcurrants and serve with a selection of side dishes (see here).
TIP Sitting the turkey on a head of celery adds flavour and also stops the joint from moving around during cooking
Drain the meat juices from the turkey into a gravy separator. Allow the juices to stand and settle as the fat separates out. Then drain off the meat juices from the bottom of the gravy separator into a saucepan. Add more water (or vegetable stock) if required and thicken with a little gravy powder. Serve hot alongside the turkey.
Allow the roast joint to rest before carving for about 5–15 minutes, depending on its size. This allows the meat to reabsorb the juices released during cooking and give an even surface when sliced.
It’s best to cut across the grain of the meat. The more tender the cut, the thicker the slices should be. Always carve with the blade of the knife facing away from you and use long cutting strokes the full length of the knife.
