4. Read the Important Note below, and preheat the oven to
200°C/gas mark 6/400ºF.
5. Melt the goose fat (or butter) and maple syrup together slowly
over a low heat. Paint the turkey with the glaze before roasting in
the oven, and baste periodically throughout the cooking time.
6. Roast for 2½ hours.When you think it’s ready, pierce the turkey
with the point of a sharp knife where the body meets the leg, and
if the juices run clear, it’s cooked; if still pink, cook it for longer
until they run clear, or use a meat thermometer.
7. Then take the turkey out of the oven, and let it sit, tented with foil,
for 20–40 minutes or even longer if you like, as I do.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Turkey cooking times tend to seem quite short if you are used to
the "standard" formula for calculating cooking times for poultry.
However we have all been overcooking turkeys for years and
complaining how dry and sawdusty they are. The table below gives
my suggested timings for turkey.
The timings in the table are for a free-range turkey - these tend to
have more fat than a lean mass-produced bird and the marbling of
fat in the free-range turkey tends to conduct the heat faster meaning
that it cooks more quickly. It also assumes that the turkey has been
allowed to come up to room temperature before cooking (take the
turkey out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you want to cook it) and
that the turkey has no stuffing and is not trussed. If you are stuffing
your turkey, then you must weigh the already-stuffed bird, and cook
according to the table below.
When the turkey has had its allotted time in the oven check that it is
cooked by piercing the turkey with the point of a sharp knife where
the meat is thickest, behind the knee joint of the thigh, if the juices
that run out are clear then the turkey is cooked. If they are still pink
JOY FEELINGS | DECEMBER ISSUE
15