Turkey
& Stuffing
Each week Food Chain volunteers gather at six kitchens to cook and deliver tasty, healthy meals to housebound Londoners affected by HIV. To find out more visit: www.foodchain.org.uk or call 020 7272 7272.
Our December recipe is assessed for nutritional value by Michelle Phillpot, senior dietitian for the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Ingredients (you might want to invite some friends round ...)
(Serves 8 - with leftovers) Per portion - if using all meat and sausage meat and stuffing = 1246 kcals and 76g fat. And that is without the roasties)
Turkey
1, 5kg oven-ready, free-range turkey
175g butter, softened
225g streaky bacon
salt and pepper
Stuffing
900g sausage meat
4 heaped tbsp white breadcrumbs
1 heaped desert spoon dried sage
1 large onion, grated
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper
Method
• Remove turkey and butter from the fridge the night before
• Mix breadcrumbs, onion and sage with a little water, work in
sausagemeat, egg and seasoning. Cover with foil and leave to stand -
do not refrigerate
• Preheat oven to 2000C, gas mark 7
• Loosen skin with your hands and pack stuffing into neck end, pushing
it up between the flesh and the skin
• Put remaining stuffing into a greased, medium-sized baking tray cover
with foil and put in oven for one hour at 2000C
• Rub bird generously all over with butter and season
• Line roasting tin with foil, leaving enough on either side to loosely
cover. Place on foil and lay bacon across the breast in overlapping strips
• Seal completely in a loose-fitting ‘parcel’ of foil with
space to ensure air can circulate
• Place on a low shelf and cook for 40 minutes, then reduce the temperature
to 1700C, gas mark 3, and cook for a further 3 hours
• Pull back the foil and remove the bacon, put on an oven-proof plate
and return to the oven to crisp
• Continue cooking for a further 40 minutes, basting with its juices
every 5 minutes
• Pierce the thickest part of the leg to check if cooked. Juice should
be golden and clear
• Once fully cooked, remove from oven, tip off excess juice, place on
serving dish and leave to ‘rest’ in a warm place for 30 minutes
• Keep the juices to use in the gravy
Michelle Phillpot:
If you are concerned about calorie consumption on Christmas day, try using
low fat sausage meat and take the skin off the turkey before serving.
Why not try some different stuffing mixtures to be more adventurous - chestnut
and apple or hazelnut and orange? Most supermarkets will sell fresh and dried
stuffing packs, simply follow the guidelines.
A: l Clean out the fridge and make room for leftovers several days before
the holiday feast. Overfilling your fridge can increase the temperature inside
and encourage bacterial growth.
• Leftovers should be stored in the fridge within two hours after cooking
is completed.
• If a large amount of turkey is left, consider freezing some for later
use. Freeze immediately it has cooled after cooking.
• Leftover turkey will last 3-4 days in the fridge.
• Store stuffing for 1-2 days and re-heat to at least 75 degrees C before
serving.
