Turkey with Cranberry Sauce: The Monday Night Meal You Didn’t Need

Move over the festive pretext, where turkey with cranberry sauce is a quintessential dish that graces the table and enjoy this iconic combination on Monday night to satisfy your taste buds. The pairing of turkey and cranberry sauce needs to be studied for its culinary balance because the mild, salty flavor of the turkey is complemented by the sweet-tart brightness of the cranberry sauce, creating a symphony of flavors that is both comforting and exciting.

The lean meat and subtle flavor of the turkey allows the tartness and boldness of the cranberry sauce to shine without overpowering the dish, making each bite an experience of contrasting but harmonious flavors. So, whip up turkey with cranberry sauce with this charming recipe and thank us later:

Ingredients for Stuffing:

• 200 grams butter
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 2 small apples finely chopped
• 80 grams fresh sage leaves
• 150g dried cranberries, cherries or apricots, chopped
• 220 grams panko breadcrumbs
• 80 ml milk
• 40 gm cup roasted salted cashews, chopped
• beat 2 eggs
• 10 grams salt
• 5 grams freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for Turkey and Onions:

• 4 kg turkey
• 200 ml water
• 40 ml olive oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• 10 grams salt
• 3 large red onions cut into quarters
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Sage leaves
• 150 grams cranberry sauce

Method:

• Preheat the oven at 180 C. Heat butter in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until soft. Add the apples and sage and cook for 2-3 minutes more, until the apples are soft. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add cranberries/cherries/apricots, breadcrumbs, milk, cashews, eggs, remaining melted butter, salt and pepper to apple and onion mixture and mix until well mixed.
• Rinse the turkey with water. Clean the cavity by removing the neck and internal organs and pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place on a large chopping board. Fold the tips of the wings under its body and leave the legs tied together. Place 1/2 cup of the stuffing into the cavity, pressing it down using your hands. Repeat until the cavity is filled (you’ll probably have some filling left over). Roll the remaining stuffing into balls to fry later.
• Place the turkey in a large roasting pan and pour water around it (this will help the turkey cook evenly and keep it moist). Brush or rub the turkey with olive oil, squeeze over the lemon juice (this will brown it) and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 1 hour, then reduce the oven temperature to 170°C.
• Arrange the onion pieces and any stuffing balls around the turkey and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Return to the oven to cook for another 40-55 minutes or until the small thermometer comes out indicating the turkey is just cooked. Remove, cover with tinfoil and a tea towel and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving and serving.
• To serve, arrange turkey, onions and stuffing balls on a very large platter and garnish with sage. Serve with warm cranberry sauce on the side.

(Recipe: Manjay Shahi, Executive Chef)