Turkey with cranberry sauce: The Monday night meal you didn’t know you needed

The lean meat and subtle taste of turkey allows the tanginess and boldness of cranberry sauce to shine without overwhelming the dish, making each bite an experience of contrasting yet harmonious flavours. So, whip up turkey with cranberry sauce with this tempting recipe and thank us later:

Ingredients for stuffing:

• 200 g butter
• 1 red onion finely diced
• 2 small apples finely diced
• 80 gm fresh sage leaves
• 150gm dried cranberries cherries or apricots, chopped
• 220gm panko breadcrumbs
• 80 ml milk
• 40 gm cup roasted salted cashews chopped
• 2 eggs whisked
• 10 gm salt
• 5 gm freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for turkey and onions:

• 4 kgs turkey
• 200ml water
• 40ml olive oil
• Lemon juice of 2 lemon
• 10gm salt
• 3 large red onions cut into quarters
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Sage leaves
• 150 gm cranberry sauce

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 C. Heat butter in a large fry pan. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes, until soft. Add apple and sage and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until apple is soft. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add cranberries/cherries/apricots, breadcrumbs, milk, cashew nuts, eggs, remaining melted butter, salt and pepper to the apple and onion mixture, and mix until well combined.
• Rinse turkey out with water. Clean out the cavity, discarding the neck and offal, and pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place on a large chopping board. Fold wing tips under its body and leave legs tied together. Place 1/2 cup stuffing into the cavity, using your hands to compact it. Repeat until the cavity is full (you will most likely have some stuffing leftover). Roll any remaining stuffing into balls to be roasted later.
• Transfer turkey to a large roasting dish and pour water around it (this will help to cook the turkey evenly and keep it moist). Brush or rub turkey with olive oil, squeeze over lemon juice (this helps it brown) and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 1 hour, then reduce oven temperature to 170degC.
• Arrange onion wedges and any stuffing balls around the turkey and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Return to oven to cook for a further 40-55 minutes or until the little thermometer pops out indicating the turkey is just cooked through. Remove, cover with tinfoil and tea towels and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving and serving.
• To serve, transfer turkey, onions and stuffing balls to a very large platter and decorate with sage. Serve with warmed cranberry sauce on the side.

(Recipe: Manjay Shahi, Executive Chef)