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Classic roast turkey with pork stuffing recipe

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This traditional recipe for roast turkey includes usual stuffing suspects pork, sage, onion, and rosemary alongside special guests pistachios and apricots. A sure-fire hit for Christmas day, serve with all the trimmings. See method

Serves 8 with leftovers
40 mins to prepare and 3 hrs 00 mins to cook
791 calories / serving

Ingredients

For the stuffing

50g (2oz) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
900g (1lb 15½oz) pork sausage meat
75g (3oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
1 large egg
100g (3½oz) dried apricots, chopped
75g shelled pistachios, chopped
20 slices of pancetta
olive oil, to drizzle

For the turkey

4.5kg turkey
6 garlic cloves
fresh thyme, a large handful
rosemary, a large handful
sage sprigs, a large handful
2 large onions, cut into quarters
25g butter, softened
300ml (10fl oz) white wine

If you haven't got any white bread, try using brown instead

Each serving contains

Energy
3285kj
791kcal 40%
Fat
47g 67%
Saturates
17g 86%
Sugars
9g 10%
Salt
2.6g 43%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 17.7g Protein 66.4g Fibre 3.9g

Method

Preheat the oven to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured. Season well. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Transfer the onion to a large bowl. Add the parsley, sage, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, egg, apricots and pistachios, and stir to combine. Season well. Use one quarter of the mix to stuff the neck end of the turkey and secure the skin with a skewer.
Roll the remaining stuffing into about 20 walnut-sized balls and wrap each one in a slice of pancetta. Place in a small, lightly oiled roasting tin and set aside.
Fill the turkey cavity with the garlic, herbs and two thirds of the onion wedges. Weigh the stuffed turkey and calculate the cooking time at 20 minutes per kilo, plus 90 minutes. Place the turkey in a large roasting tin, spread the skin with the softened butter and season well. Place the remaining onion wedges around the turkey, pour in the wine and a generous splash of water.
Cover the turkey with foil and roast for 3 hours until the juices run clear when you pierce a leg with a sharp knife. Remove the foil 20 minutes before the end of cooking to brown the skin. Top up with a little water if the juices in the tin bubble away. Check the turkey after 3 hours - it may be ready sooner, depending on how full your oven is. Once cooked, transfer to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Add the stuffing balls to the oven 10 minutes before removing the turkey. Once the turkey has been removed, increase the oven temperature to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until golden.

See more Christmas recipes

For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.