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Susan Jung

The Christmas turkey sits on the festive table, beautifully roasted to a golden brown. Guests eagerly wait in anticipation for the host to carve off thin, elegant slices. With a flourish, he or she picks up the carving knife . . . and proceeds to do a perfect imitation of the 'Turkey Chainsaw Massacre'. But it needn't be that way.

Paul Angwin, director of sales and marketing for Eurest Catering Services (Tel: 2873 1811), first gives a recipe for roasting the turkey, then tells us how to carve it.

'When roasting a turkey, remember you are cooking two different types of meat, the delicate light breast meat, which must not be allowed to dry out, and the darker leg meat which takes longer to cook. The turkey must be roasted long enough for the legs to cook, so frequent basting is necessary,' Angwin says.

Roast turkey

One turkey, thawed, bag of innards removed

One litre vegetable oil or melted butter

Salt and pepper

Streaky bacon rashers, rind removed (optional)

Your favourite recipe for stuffing

Prepare the stuffing first and let it cool to room temperature. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Wash bird, then put the stuffing in loosely (don't pack it in, or it won't cook thoroughly), then fold neck skin over to hold in stuffing. Truss with strings, folding the wings under the body and tying the legs together. Weigh the turkey and calculate cooking time - allow 20 minutes per 450 grams, plus an additional 20 minutes. Place bird, breast side up, in roasting pan, then brush with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. If using bacon rashers, lay them over the breast. Roast for allotted time, basting frequently. Place a loose tent of foil over bird if it starts becoming too brown. Remove from oven when cooked, and let rest for 20 minutes. Remove trussing strings.

Carving the bird:

Step 1: Using a sharp knife, cut off the last two joints on the wings, leaving the 'drumette' attached to the carcass.

Step 2: For the breast meat, there are two methods you can use. The first is to leave the breast attached to the body, cutting the meat in thin slices against the grain.

Step 3: The second method starts with removing the entire breast from the bird. Cut down, parallel to the breast bone, then let the knife follow the natural contours of the carcass along the ribcage.

Step 4: Lift the breast from the body and lay it on the cutting board.

Step 5: Cut the breast against the grain into thin slices.

Step 6: Remove the legs from the carcass by cutting at the soft spot between thigh and body.

Step 7: Holding the tip of the drumstick, cut along the inside of the thigh, parallel to the bone, down towards the point where thigh meets drumstick.

Step 8: Then cut along the inside of the drumstick, parallel to the bone, so it meets the first cut.

Step 9: Place this v-shaped piece of meat on to the cutting board, and cut it into slices.

Step 10: Carve remaining meat off the thigh, then off the drumstick.

Step 11: Cut drumettes away from the carcass and serve whole.



Terror-free turkey