After a false start, Marion Grasby’s Asian-inspired turkey comes up trumps. She shares her secrets for a fail-safe lunch.
- To salt turkey, combine sesame oil, five spice and 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes in a bowl. Place turkey on a tray. Rub salt mixture over skin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Meanwhile, combine garlic, duck fat,white pepper and 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
- To make stuffing, place rice, stock and star anise in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 12 minutes or until stock is absorbed and rice is tender. Discard star anise, then transfer rice to a large bowl. Cool for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place mushrooms in a bowl, cover with boiling water and stand for 20 minutes or until softened. Drain, then squeeze out excess water. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, sausages and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes or until onion is soft and golden. Cool. Combine onion mixture, rice and remaining stuffing ingredients in a large bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes and pepper.
- To make hoisin glaze, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Reserve 1 tablespoon for gravy.
- Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced. Slide your fingers between turkey flesh and skin to loosen. Rub duck fat mixture over flesh under skin. Loosely fill cavity with 2 1/2 cups stuffing, then tie legs and parson’s nose (the part protruding below the legs) together with kitchen string. Place remaining stuffing in a greased 1.5L loaf pan and cover with foil.
- Place turkey on a wire rack set into a large flameproof roasting pan. Add star anise and 750ml (3 cups) water to bottom of pan. Cover turkey loosely with baking paper, then cover tightly with foil. Roast on bottom oven shelf for 2 hours. Remove foil and paper, then brush skin generously with glaze. Replace paper and foil, return turkey to bottom oven shelf and place pan with stuffing on top shelf. Roast for 1 hour.
- Remove stuffing from oven. Remove foil and paper from turkey, then brush with glaze. Reduce oven to 160C. Roast turkey on bottom oven shelf for a further 30 minutes or until juices run clear when thickest part of a thigh is pierced with a skewer or internal temperature reaches 80C on a meat thermometer. Transfer turkey to a platter and cover loosely with foil. Rest for 20 minutes. Reserve roasting pan with juices.
- To make gravy, remove star anise from reserved pan and discard. Place pan over medium heat and scatter over flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir, scraping bits from bottom of pan. Gradually stir in stock and reserved glaze, then bring to the boil. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a small saucepan, then discard solids. Cook gravy over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly, then transfer to a jug.
- Carve turkey and serve with stuffing, gravy and steamed greens.
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