Clementine & sage turkey with Madeira grav y

The combination of clementine and sage is mouthwateringly delicious! This is likely to become your new family favourite.

SERVES 8 (with leftovers) PREP 30min, plus letting turkey reach room temperature, and resting COOK about 3hr 40min

• 5.4kg (12lb) turkey

• 3 firm clementines

• 20g pack fresh sage

• 100g (3½oz) butter, softened

• 500g (1lb 2oz) stuffing (see recipe later in this feature)

• 3 celery sticks

• 3 carrots, halved lengthways FOR THE MADEIRA GRAVY

• 25g (1oz) plain flour

• 125ml (4fl oz) Madeira wine

• 300ml (½ pint) chicken stock

• 1tbsp runny honey or redcurrant jelly, if needed

1 Remove turkey from the fridge 1hr before you stuff it to let it come up to room temperature.

2 Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Finely grate the zest from the clementines into a medium bowl. Halve the zested clementines and set aside. Next, add 2tbsp thinly sliced sage leaves (reserve rest of bunch) and add to the bowl with the butter and plenty of seasoning. Mix together.

3 Put the turkey, breast-up, on a board. Lift up the neck flap and use your fingers to ease the skin gently away from the breast meat. Spread most of the butter between the skin and meat. Set remaining butter aside.

4 Put stuffing inside the neck cavity, taking care not to overfill. Turn turkey over on to its breast; pull neck flap down and over the stuffing; secure with a skewer or cocktail sticks. Weigh turkey and calculate the cooking time: allow 30-35min per kg (2lb 3½oz).

5 Make a trivet in a large roasting tin of celery sticks and carrot halves, and sit turkey on top. Put clementine halves and remaining sage (stalks and all) into the turkey cavity, then rub remaining flavoured butter over the breast of the bird. Tie legs together with string; season bird all over. Cover loosely with foil.

6 Roast for calculated time, removing foil for last 45min of cooking. If you find the skin is browning too quickly, cover with foil again – and don’t forget to baste your bird at least 3 times during cooking.

7 To check turkey is cooked, insert a fork into the thickest part of the thigh and check the juices run clear. If there’s any red tinge to the juice, return the bird to the oven and keep checking every 10-15min. Alternatively, use a meat thermometer – the temperature needs to read 72°C when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.

8 Transfer the turkey to a board (set aside the tin for the Madeira gravy), and cover with foil and clean tea towels to help keep the heat in. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 30min, or up to 1¼hr.

9 To make gravy, spoon off most of the fat from the roasting tin (leaving veg in the tin). Put tin over a medium hob heat; add the flour. Cook, stirring well with a wooden spoon, for 1min. Gradually add the Madeira (scraping up all the sticky bits from base of tin); leave to bubble for a few min. Next, stir in the stock and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5min. Check seasoning; add honey/ redcurrant jelly, if needed. Strain into a warmed gravy jug or clean pan

(to reheat when needed).

10 To serve the turkey, unwrap and transfer to a warm serving plate. Remove skewer or cocktail sticks and garnish with clementine halves and stuffing balls. Serve with the gravy.

GET AHEAD Prepare turkey to end of step 5 up to a day ahead. Chill. To serve, allow stuffed turkey to come up to room temperature before roasting. PER 125g (4oz) SERVING (WITH GRAVY): CALS 286; FAT 12g; SAT FAT 5g; CARBS 5g