Ingredients
4 middle bacon rashers (360 g)
Cooking oil spray
4.7 kg turkey buffet, fresh or frozen and thawed
25 g butter, melted
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
3 small oranges, halved
Cranberry gravy
½ cup boiling water
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
275 g jar jellied cranberry sauce
Stuffing balls
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 middle bacon rashers (125 g), rind removed, finely chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped sage leaves
3 cups stale sourdough breadcrumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Method
- Place one rasher of bacon, lengthways over the base of a large flameproof roasting pan sprayed with cooking oil. Place turkey on bacon. Brush with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Secure remaining bacon over breast with toothpicks. Cover with a sheet of baking paper, then foil to secure.
- Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for 1 ½ hours. Uncover. Cook for a further 45 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices. Remove and discard bacon. Add oranges to pan, cut-side down. Cook for a further 30 minutes, turning oranges over and basting turkey after 15 minutes. Remove turkey and oranges. Cover loosely with foil. Rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make stuffing balls. Heat oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion, garlic and bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft. Add cranberries. Transfer to a large bowl. Cool. Stir in sage, crumbs and eggs. Season. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Spray lightly with oil.
- Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove.
- Meanwhile, make cranberry gravy. Discard excess oil from roasting pan. Juice two cooked orange halves. Place pan over a medium heat. Add juice and combined boiling water and stock cube. Stir for 2 minutes, scrapping in any bits clinging to base of pan. Add sauce, whisk until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug.
- Serve turkey with stuffing balls, remaining orange halves and hot cranberry gravy.
