Alex Mackay's Roast KellyBronze Turkey with Smoked Paprika, Roast Garlic, Thyme Clementines and Double Gravy

Preparation Time; 20 minutes 

Cook Time; 2 hours 15 minutes plus 30 minutes to an hour resting.
Do Ahead; The smoked paprika butter can be made 3 days in advance, and kept, covered in clingfilm, in the fridge. The giblet and port base for the gravy can easily be made 2-3 days in advance. Why not make it when you bring your turkey home. 

1.  Remove your turkey from the fridge 2 hours before you will roast it.

2.  Dry it very well with kitchen paper, inside and out. Rub the breast with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. To make the smoked paprika butter, bring a medium pan of salted water to the boil, add the garlic and boil for 2 minutes. Drain, toss with the olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for 20 minutes.  (If you are making the chestnut stuffing, bake the 10 cloves for that recipe at the same time)   Place the butter, thyme leaves and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika into a medium bowl. Grate the clementine zest directly over the top and set the clementines aside for the turkey. Peel the garlic as soon as it is cool enough to handle. Squash the cloves into the butter with the back of a fork and stir to combine the ingredients. Season with salt.

3.  Spoon half of the smoked paprika butter into the turkey’s cavity, cut the clementines in half and pop them in with a large pinch of salt. Rub salt all over the turkey. Put the turkey, breast side down, into your roasting tin and roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes. After 1 hour and 45 minutes, turn the turkey over so its breast is facing upward, and roast for 20 minutes.
Smother one quarter of the smoked paprika butter over the top and roast for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes to an hour.

While the turkey roasts, make the gravy.

1.  Heat a large sauce pan with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and fry the giblets and onions for 5 minutes until golden. Pour over the port, bring to the boil and reduce by two thirds over a high heat, this takes about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and soy sauce. Bring it all to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour.  

2.  Strain the gravy through a sieve into a medium saucepan and discard the giblets and onion. Once the turkey has rested for at least 30 minutes transfer it to your serving dish or carving board and add to the turkey’s cooking juices to the pan. Bring to the boil and stir in the diluted cornflour. (The amount you need always varies so add the diluted cornflour little by little until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon)

3.  Bring back to the boil, stirring constantly and boil for 30 seconds. Season well with salt, turn off the heat and stir in the remaining smoked paprika butter.

Proudly serve the turkey with the stuffing and snags your favourite potatoes, some beetroot, some plain green cabbage, or sweet and sour red cabbage.

Stuffing and Snags
Turn up the oven and these three accompaniments can be cooked in 15 minutes while the turkey rests. If the stuffing is not inside the turkey it won’t interfere with the roasting time and it is also much easier to serve stuffing in little balls. Don’t worry though, I’ve made them taste like they were cooked with the turkey by spooning over a little of the beautiful bird’s flavoursome fat.

Sausage, Fig and Smoked Paprika Stuffing
The sweet figs just love smoked paprika, it all tastes a bit like a fruity chorizo. If you have any of this leftover, serve it with fried eggs, or onion gravy on boxing day. Feel free to add more paprika if you want to spice things up. Making the balls is a fun job to share with children or indeed anyone who’s looking a little idle.   

Makes about 30 balls to serve 10-12
Preparation Time; 5 minutes
Cook Time; 10 minutes
Do Ahead; The sausage meat can be mixed and made into balls at least 1 day in advance.
900g (2lb) sausage meat
100g (3 1/2 oz) breadcrumbs, plus about 50g (2 oz) extra for rolling
2 large egg yolks
350g (12oz) soft dried figs, chopped into small, 1cm (1/2 inch) chunks
1 level teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
Salt

Preheat your oven to 200c/Fan180c/Gas 6 Top Shelf

Mix all of the ingredients except the 50g (2oz) breadcrumbs together and season with salt. (The mixture is easy to roll and even easier to roll if you chill it for an hour).  Rub some breadcrumbs onto your palms and roll stuffing into golf sized balls and place each one onto an oven tray or dish with raised sides as you do so. Spoon over a generous amount of the turkey’s cooking juices and fat. Bake for 15 minutes. 

Madame Randell’s Cheeky Chipolata and Chorizo Rolls
The inspirational idea of my dear friend Sarah Randell, these are divine and would happily take leave of the turkey to make fantastic finger food with an apple, fig or plum chutney on the side. Great job for the kids. You will need 24 cocktail sticks

2 each for 12 people
Preparation Time; 5 minutes  
Cook Time; 15 minutes
Do Ahead; The chipolatas can be wrapped in chorizo at least one day in advance  
24 really good plain pork chipolatas  
48 thin slices of chorizo 6cm (2 ½ inch diameter)

Method Preheat your oven to 200c / Fan 180c / Gas6 Top shelf
One by one, wrap each chipolata with two slices of chorizo. Push a cocktail stick into the sides where the slices overlap so they don’t unwrap during cooking. Place onto an oven tray in a single layer, spoon over some of the turkey’s cooking juices and bake for 10 minutes.  

Photo by Peter Knab