ROAST TURKEY WITH A HONEY CRUST

(serves 8-10)

Ingredients

• 1 x 3.5 kg turkey
• 60g butter, melted
• 60ml brandy

Stuffing

• 60ml olive oil
• 1 onion, grated
• 60g rice
• 60ml red wine
• 200g stale bread
• 1 cup milk
• 3 country-style sausages
• 10-12 chestnuts, boiled and halved
• 10 prunes, stoned
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Basting

• 1 cup red wine
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup pineapple juice

Method

Wash the turkey inside and out. Mix the melted butter with the brandy. With the use of a syringe with a thick needle, inject the butter and brandy mixture under the skin of the turkey, especially around the breast fillets, where the meat tends to be drier. Place a finger on the puncture site as the butter tends to spatter.

Soak the bread in milk and squeeze out any excess liquid. Remove the casing of the sausage and place the meat in a blender. Pulse until you have the consistency of minced meat.

Sauté the onion in the olive oil. Add the ground sausage and rice and sauté. Add the wine and remaining ingredients and leave to simmer for 5-6 minutes so that the flavours combine.

Stuff the turkey and tie up as firmly as possible (or sew the cavity closed). Place in roasting pan and pour half the wine, half the honey and half the pineapple juice over the turkey.

Cover with foil and roast for 1 – 1 ½ hours. Remove foil and pour the rest of the wine, rest of honey and pineapple juice over the turkey. Leave in oven for another hour until skin browns.