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Turky's have supposed to have made their appearance on Christmas tables in England around 16th century. A typical roasted Turkey would see a happy stuffing of bread stuffing, potatoes and more. Also adding to the farmers didnt want to get away with their live stock hence turkey seemed like a great option. Most time turkeys were generally raised only for their meat. These well-fed birds were also used as part of ‘Christmas Pie’ which made for a much sought after dish during the Georgian era
Chef Sanjay was trained under Chef Bruno in One & Only Royal Mirage in Dubai and has been part of other premium 5 star hotels in India. He says “No Christmas is complete without a roast, especially when it comes to Turkey. A meal with one’s family is most enjoyable with a well done Turkey served for Christmas Eve dinner or brunch. The recipe originated from Central America, moved to England and is now loved across various countries and is an important part of the celebration over food, with family or friends.
An important ingredient in this recipe is usage of aromatic herbs and some essentials in its preparation are firstly to marinate the Turkey and secondly to strictly follow the cooking procedure.”
Believe you me it might look tough but it’s actually it’s pretty easy to roast this one and it makes for a showstopper for the Christmas table.
Ingredients
• 5-6kg oven-ready turkey with the neck, chopped, and giblets included
• 150g butter
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• large handful of mixed herbs such as parsley, thyme or bay, leaves picked and chopped, stalks reserved, plus extra thyme and herbs to serve (optional)
• 2-3 onions, roughly chopped
• 1 no. Celery stock and leeks
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
For the gravy
• 2 Tbsp plain flour
• large glass of red wine (about 200ml)
• 500ml chicken or turkey stock
Method
• Loosen the skin over the turkey breast. Season the bird all over, including under the skin, with 2 tbsp sea salt. Put the turkey in a baking pan, breast-side up and refrigerate.
• Remove the turkey from the fridge at least 1 hr before cooking. Pre-Heat the oven to 240C/220C. Melt the butter in a pan set over a low heat and then add the garlic and chopped herbs. Sizzle for 1 min; remove from the heat and leave to cool a little. Remove the turkey from the pan and scatter in the onions, carrots, celery leeks, turkey neck and giblets. Stuff the turkey cavity with the herb stalks and extra thyme. Lift the skin and spoon about 4 tbsp of the garlicky herb butter over the meat underneath. Brush most of the remaining butter all over the bird, reserving about 2 tbsp. Tie the wings and legs together.
• Put the turkey in the oven and reduce the heat to 180C/160C. Roast for 1 hr, then remove from the oven and brush with more of the butter. Turn the tin around and return to the oven for another 30 mins. Brush again with the butter and roast for another 30 mins. Cook the turkey for another 1.5 hours.
• Using the baking pan, prepare the gravy which accompanies the roast turkey. For this deglaze the pan with red wine. When the wine reduces, add the turkey stock and reduce further. Get the desired sauce consistency with addition of Roux (equal quantity of flour and butter cooked till it becomes brown in colour).
• Serve the turkey with the roast gravy and other trimmings of your choice.
