ROAST TURKEY ON POTATO AND BACON GRATIN WITH APPLE, RICE AND QUINOA STUFFING

Cooking your turkey over a gratin adds amazing flavour to your potatoes– and it cuts down on dishes! The stuffing recipe makes plenty, so you’ll have extra as a side. If you’d prefer a lighter gratin, try replacing the cream with chicken stock.

Prep:
40 mins
Cook:
3 hours
Serves:
8-10

Ingredients

Apple, Rice and Quinoa Stuffing:

1 cup Ceres Organic quinoa rice blend

1¾ cups Farro chicken stock

1 tsp salt

25g butter 

1 onion, finely chopped 

1 celery stick, finely chopped 

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped 

2 green apples, peeled

Juice of ½ lemon

½ cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped 

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Potato and Bacon Gratin:

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1½ cups cream or Farro chicken stock, or a mix of both

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped

2kg Agria potatoes, peeled

250g streaky bacon, sliced

Roast Turkey: 

1 x Farro whole size 4 turkey

100g butter, softened

1-2 jars Farro Turkey Gravy to serve

Method

For the stuffing:

Soak the quinoa rice blend in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain, then place in a saucepan with the chicken stock and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 minutes, then strain any leftover liquid and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Melt the butter in a frying pan, then add the onion and celery and fry gently for 8-10 mins, until soft but not yet brown. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute, then set aside.

Cut the apples into small cubes and coat them in the lemon juice. Add them to the quinoa rice blend, along with the parsley, salt, and egg, and mix well. The stuffing can be made a day ahead, but don’t stuff the turkey until just before cooking.

For the gratin:

Grease a deep 40cm x 30cm roasting dish with a little of the butter. In a small bowl, combine the remaining butter with the cream, garlic, and thyme. Thinly slice the potatoes, ideally using a mandolin, and begin layering the potato slices in your roasting dish. With each layer, pour over a little of the cream mixture, sprinkle over some of the bacon, and season generously with salt and pepper. Repeat until all the potato is used up.

For the turkey:

Defrost the turkey over 3-4 days in the fridge. Pat the turkey dry inside and out, season the insides generously, and fill the cavities with the stuffing, allowing some room for expansion. Roll any remaining stuffing into a sausage shape, wrap in buttered foil, and pop into the oven for the last hour of the bake.

To roast, preheat the oven to 200°C.

Fold the wing tips under the turkey and secure the legs with twine. Use your fingers to loosen the skin under the breast and push ¾ of the butter under the skin. Smear the remaining butter over the turkey. Weigh the bird and make a note of the stuffed weight, then nestle it on top of the gratin.

Cover with foil and roast for 2 hours. Remove the foil and reduce the oven to 180°C, then roast for a further 1 hour, or until the turkey is golden and the juices run clear when the flesh is pierced with a skewer. If the bird is starting to brown too much, cover loosely with foil.

Leave to rest, covered, for 20 minutes before carving. Serve with Farro’s Turkey Gravy.

Cook’s tip: A size 4 turkey is usually around 4-4.5kg. If you’re unsure about your turkey size, make sure to weigh it after stuffing and allow 40 mins cooking time per kg.