Meat market

Feeling the festive spirit, Colin Fassnidge swaps top billing with Anthony Puharich (for one month only!) so our butcher can show off his skills.

Turkey starts a top-billing tussle between our chef and butcher.

A Are you happy with turkey? C Yeah [chuckling as the recipe is read to Anthony]. Okay, say your piece.

A Hold on. You take the legs off the crown to roast them separately with the veg? Then you poach the crown on its own?

C Yeah. You have to separate it so it’s all perfectly cooked. A [Silence.] C What’s that face for? You don’t want to overcook the breast meat!

A It’s Christmas. This is a ridiculously mangled way of cooking Christmas turkey.

C It’s how we used to do functions! If you can do it for 300, you can do it for eight.

A Maybe this is where the butcher comes in. It’s been the chef the past two years, but maybe now is where I step in and actually help people. A bit of butchery. Maybe just for this issue we put ‘the butcher’ in bigger font? Or maybe we call it the Butcher and the Chef? C The butcher and what’s-his-name! A So I can show my mum that I’m not just a hanger-on.

C It’d be like if you went to Sesame Street and Ernie wanted it to be Ernie and Bert! It doesn’t work! You’re always Ernie! A Just this one issue. Please? C Everyone has had overcooked turkey. Enough. This is the way to make it perfect.

A It’s stupid. I still think we need to show people how to carve a whole turkey.

C All right. I think in the Butcher and the Chef issue, we can do it. Merry Christmas.

A No one will even notice the difference. Well, my mum will. She always does. She reads everything I do. (Hi Mum!)

C Hi Anthony’s mum! See over the page for Anthony’s step-bystep guide to carving a whole turkey.

CHRISTMAS TURKEY WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS SERVES 8

You will need kitchen string for this recipe.

4.5kg whole turkey 3L chicken stock 2 cups (500ml) white wine

1/ 2 onion, chopped 1 garlic bulb, halved crossways

1/ 2 bunch thyme 3 bay leaves 1 bunch sage, leaves picked 1kg kipfler potatoes, scrubbed 6 small parsnips 8 brown eschalots, peeled 2 bunches baby (Dutch) carrots, trimmed

1/ 2 cup (125ml) olive oil

SAGE & SAUSAGE STUFFING

100g fresh breadcrumbs 100g unsalted butter, chopped

1/ 2 onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tbs finely chopped sage 250g pork and fennel sausages,

casings removed Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For stuffing, place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined, then set aside.

Using a sharp knife, carefully separate the marylands from turkey and chill until required. Remove wings to be left with just the turkey breast on the bone (the crown). Place crown, breast-side down, in a large stockpot. Add stock, wine, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and half the sage. Place over high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 12 minutes. Completely cover with a lid, remove from heat and stand for 2 hours or until crown is cooked through.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a roasting pan and line with baking paper. Place potatoes, parsnips and eschalots in a large saucepan and add enough water to just cover. Place over high heat and bring to the boil, then drain well. Transfer to prepared pan, add carrots and 1/4 cup (60ml) oil, and toss to coat. Using a sharp boning knife, remove thigh bone from marylands, leaving thigh meat attached to the drumstick. Divide stuffing between thigh bone cavities and roll thigh around stuffing to enclose. Tie at 2cm intervals with kitchen string. Rub with 1 tbs oil and place on top of vegetables.

In the last 90 minutes of turkey crown cooking time, roast marylands for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender and juices run clear when the thickest part of a thigh is pierced with a skewer. Set marylands aside, covered with foil, to rest. Increase oven temperature to 250°C and roast vegetables for a further 20 minutes or until slightly caramelised. Toss remaining sage leaves and 2 tbs of oil together and add to vegetables in the last 5 minutes of cooking time to crisp up.

Meanwhile, remove crown from pan and set aside, covered with foil, to rest. Strain 3 cups (750ml) cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 20 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds.

Remove breast from bone and thickly slice. Place on a platter with sliced marylands and vegetables. Pour over reduced cooking liquid and scatter with roasted sage to serve.