Time to talk turkey

EVEN though we may momentarily flirt with the idea of having something new and exotic for Christmas dinner, in the end everyone seems to crave the traditional favourites with all the trimmings, so which will it be, turkey or goose?

I’m giving the recipes for both here with the favourite accompaniments. Hopefully by now you have already bought the bird, you could just slather it in butter or wrap it in butter-soaked muslin but the traditional brining method so beloved by the Americans in particular perks up even an undistinguished turkey and brings it to a new level of flavour. Don’t forget to use the carcass to make a bowl of turkey broth. It has tons of flavour and is full of goodness — akin to Jewish penicillin, as chicken broth is called.

When I was in Dublin at the Good Food Ireland awards a few weeks ago, Peter Caviston the charismatic fishmonger from Glasthule in Co Dublin arrived with a gorgeous Norfolk Black turkey reared by Sandra Higgins in Co Kildare. It was ‘New York dressed’, still had all its insides intact in the time-honoured way. I brought it home and hung it in a cold room for a further three weeks. Then I gutted it, made a delicious buttery herby stuffing and roasted it as below. It was absolutely scrumptious with a delicious mild gamey flavour, reminiscent of the flavour of turkeys years ago.