Ingredients
Turkey (size immaterial – preferably fresh)
Butter
Streaky Bacon
Oranges
Bramley Cooking Apples
Ruby Port – the cheapest you can find but it MUST be ruby
Method
Wash fruit – do not peel
Stretch bacon over knife blade
Warm butter
Line large meat tin with foil
Place turkey on foil
Quarter unpeeled fruit and place in cavity
Spread butter over turkey
Lay streaky bacon over turkey, especially the legs
Sprinkle a good six tablespoons of port over the bird
Loosely wrap in foil
While roasting baste turkey frequently adding more port if needed – turkey should not be stewing in liquid but should have plenty of juice for basting.
Take foil cover off for last part of cooking time to brown bird.
The combination of fruit in cavity and port makes the turkey beautifully moist – juices make a delicious gravy. Place the remainder in the fridge where it will set. The jelly/dripping is good on hot toast and also forms the base of a delicious stock.
For a 14lb turkey I would cook it for a minimum of 5 hours in the top oven at 210 or 1.5 hours in the top oven then 5 hours in the bottom oven at 105 then another half hour in the top oven
