Cooking Christmas Turkey

Cooking Christmas turkey can be a great source of stress for a lot of people. One of the challenges is that the legs take longer to cook than the breasts, which means that the breasts are often overcooked and dried out. With this recipe you can serve your family a delicious Christmas turkey that your family will be raving about. Note: This recipe calls for a turkey at room temperature. Be sure to thaw your turkey several days in advance.

To cook a Christmas turkey, you will need:

• 9-10 pound turkey, at room temperature
• 2 oz. butter
• Sprig of fresh sage, with leaves picked
• 12 strips of thinly sliced bacon
• 1 bulb garlic, separated into cloves
• 4 medium red onions, peeled
• 2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
• Large handful breadcrumbs
• Handful dried apricots
• 10 1/2 oz. minced pork
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• Salt and pepper
• 12 small fresh rosemary sprigs, plus a few extra
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 1 large orange
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 pints chicken or vegetable stock

1. Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sage leaves and six of the bacon strips.
3. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion and add to saucepan, along with celery.
4. Fry gently until mixture is soft and golden brown and then remove from heat.
5. While mixture is cooling, roughly chop apricots and add to mixture.
6. When stuffing has cooled, add pork, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg and lots of salt and pepper and mix well.
7. Slice remaining bacon strips in half.
8. Slice 1 garlic clove into slivers.
9. On one end of a halved bacon strip, place a rosemary sprig and a garlic sliver and roll tightly. Repeat until there are twelve bacon rolls.
10. On the legs of the turkey, stab each side six times and push a bacon roll in each hole.
11. Chop remaining onions in half and chop carrots into thick pieces.
12. Wipe turkey, inside and out, with kitchen paper.
13. Place turkey on a board, with the neck end towards you.
14. Find edge of skin that is covering the turkey's breasts and gently peel it back.
15. Free the skin from the meat by gently working your fingers and then your hand underneath and peel skin completely away. Make sure to keep it attached at the sides.
16. Lift loose skin at neck end and spoon the stuffing between the skin and breast.
17. Tuck the flap of skin under to prevent anything from falling out.
18. Warm orange for 30 seconds in the microwave and stuff the orange into the cavity of the turkey.
19. Weigh turkey (Cook time is twenty minutes for every 1 lb. 2 oz.).
20. Place turkey on large roasting tray and rub all over with olive oil and seasoning.
21. Surround turkey with chopped carrots, onions and remaining garlic.
22. Cover with foil and put turkey into oven.
23. Turn heat down right away to 350 degrees.
24. Remove the foil for the last 45 minutes of cook time.
25. After the oven, rest the turkey on a board that has been loosely covered with foil.
26. Skim surface of the fat from the roasting pan and add flour and stock.
27. Bring to boil on high heat and once gravy starts to thicken, strain into bowl.
28. Serve immediately.