To some, the traditional Christmas dinner is a daunting proposition, with a myriad things to juggle to get that fat bird on the table. However, with a little organisation, and a copy of Delia Smith's Christmas, cooking the perfect bird every time is a doddle.On the night before Christmas Eve make up a batch of Cranberry Sauce ready for the big day. That'll be one less thing to do on Christmas morning.
Liking a leisurely Christmas, we eat Christmas Dinner at around 3 o'clock as such the timings that follow are geared around hitting that mark. For an earlier, or even later fare, adjust them accordingly.
Ingredients
- 1 x 6.5 kg (14lb) turkey, oven ready (I'd recomend getting a Bronze turkey if possible)
- 175g (6oz) softened butter
- 225g (8 oz) verys fat streaky bacon
- Salt (preferably Maldon) and freshly milled black pepper
- Stuffing
- Extra wide Turkey Foil
Timetable
8:45 a.m
- Pre-heat the oven to 220C (gas mark 7, 425F)
- Stuff the bird, packing the neck end then putting the rest in the body cavity. N.b. if you use the body cavity then please ensure that both turkey and stuffing are defrosted properly. Failure to do so can be dangerous. If in doubt, just stuff the neck.
- Arrange two sheets of foil across the roasting tin, one widthwise and one length wise. Allow for enough to make a nice tent for the bird.
- Lay the turkey on it's back in the centre then rub all over with your softened butter. Pay special attention to the thigh bones.
- Season the bird all over with salt and pepper.
- Lay the bacon in overlapping rows over the breast.
- Wrap the turkey loosely in the foil. Sealed firmly but allowing for an airspace around most of the upper part of the bird.
- Place the turkey in the pre-heated oven. It will cook at this high temperature for 40 minutes.
- While it is cooking peel the potatoes and cover in cold water ready for roasting, and prepare the bread sauce.
- Drop the oven temperature to 170C (325F, gas mark 3)
- Relax. All is now well in the Christmas world for the next couple of hours. So drink a glass of wine, eat some breakfast and unwrap those presents!
If you're having chipolatas and / or bacon rolls, then now is the time to roll with it and get them prepared.
- Brush a shallow baking sheet with oil and arrange the sausages in rows.
- Stretch the bacon rashers, rind removed, out as far as possible, roll them very tightly before threading them on long flat skewers. Place them next to the chipolatas ready to go into the oven later.
- Increase the oven temperature to 200C
- Take the turkey out of the oven
- Remove the foil from the top and sides
- Take off the bacon pieces, put them on a tray and return them to the oven
- Give the bird a damn good basting
- return it to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes to finish browning basting as frequently as possible
- Parboil the potatoes for 10 minutes then drain.
- Put the lid back on the saucepan and shake vigorously, giving the spuds a fluffy edgde to them.
- Take a solid roasting tin and add some lard, or, as we prefer, some goose fat.
- Place on a direct heat till it sizzles.
- Add the potatoes and baste them with the hot fat.
- Put the tin in the oven with the turkey.
- Take a 2nd roasting tin and add 3 tbsp of oil and 1tbsp of butter
- Place over a direct heat
- When hot add and baste the parsnips
- Remove the Turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to 230C (450F, gas mark 8).
- Transfer the turkey to a warm serving plate to let it relax for up to 50 minutes covered in foil to keep it warm.
- Place the parsnips on the middle shelf of the oven, and the chipolatas / bacon rolls at the bottom.
- Pour the wonderful turkey fat into a ceramic heat proof container. Don't waste it.
- Turn the sausages, chipolatas, bacon rolls over
- Par boil the sprouts for 5 to 6 minutes. Either serve them al-dente or cook them as per the recipe for Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and Marsla Wine (a much better idea).
- Carve the turkey and serve up.
- Bone apetite !!!
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