Deboned rolled turkey stuffed with pancetta, walnuts and parsley is the perfect dish for your festive table. To take some stress out of your Christmas preparations, this recipe makes carving easy and stops the turkey drying out. Most good butchers will debone the turkey for you, and return all the bones and giblets to make a wonderful stock or gravy. If you don’t eat pork, replace the pancetta with chicken rashers.
Deboned rolled turkey stuffed with pancetta, walnuts and parsley
Ingredients
- 250ml (1 cup) fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 100g raw walnuts
- 30ml (2 tbsp) honey
- 125ml (½ cup) fresh sage
- 60g (1 cup) breadcrumbs
- 10ml (2 tsp) salt
- 10ml (2 tsp) pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 1 turkey, about 3kg, fully deboned
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 12 slices pancetta, thinly sliced
- 180g softened butter
Instructions
To make the stuffing, blend the parsley, walnuts, honey, sage, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a food processor, pulsing until well mixed and coarsely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, adjust the seasoning to taste and whisk in the eggs to bind the stuffing.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Lay the turkey flat on a clean work surface, skin-side down. Season with salt and pepper and lay the slices of pancetta evenly across the turkey.
Spoon the stuffing onto the pancetta, making sure it is evenly distributed.
Distribute 120g of the butter evenly across the top of the stuffing.
Roll the turkey up tightly across the narrower side and tie it up with string as tightly as you can.
Smear the remaining 60g butter all over the rolled turkey. Place in a roasting tray, covered tightly with foil, and roast for about 1 hour.
Remove from the oven, remove the foil and drizzle with a bit more melted butter. Roast uncovered until the juices run clear, about another 30 minutes, depending on the size of the bird.
Remove from the oven, cover and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.
Carve the turkey and serve with all your favourite trimmings.
Notes
To drink: Thelema Chardonnay 2007, with beautiful lime, walnut and honeyed peach aromas, a perfect balanced palate of nuts and lime, and a slight smoky tone.
