The best Christmas turkey for Christmas Eve dinner
The Christmas turkey is the main dish for Christmas Eve dinner and is present in the gastronomic tradition of many countries. This one stands out for being juicy and with a delicious filling.
Turkey is often served with gravy and mashed potatoes, which are also easy to make. Therefore, if you still do not know how to make the turkey and its companions, then we will explain how to make it in a simple way.
We guarantee that the turkey will be perfectly cooked and very juicy.
Christmas turkey ingredients
A very large raw turkey weighing 7 or 8 kg.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Stop the juice to be injected
180 grams of butter
140 milliliters of white wine
80 milliliters of apple cider vinegar
180 milliliters of orange juice
For the butter
Chopped parsley
Chopped fresh tarragon
5 garlic cloves finely chopped
Three tablespoons of celery powder
5 tablespoons of paprika
Two tablespoons of mustard
6 to 8 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons ginger
300 grams of butter
Lemon and orange zest
For the tray where you will bake the turkey
2 carrots, chopped
2 chopped celery
1 chopped onion
1 Orange chopped into slices
2 sprigs of rosemary
250 milliliters of orange juice
80 milliliters of apple cider vinegar
300 milliliters of white wine
For the purée
Three potatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped dried parsley
Turkey cooking juice (required amount)
Mozzarella cheese
For the filling
200 grams of Bacon chopped
Three cloves of garlic
Half chopped onion
200 grams of ham squares
Chopped almonds
Raisins
Walnut chunks
1 kg of ground beef
An Apple
A peach
A pear
Stuffed olives
6 sliced mushrooms
Salt to taste
For the gravy
A cup of juice from the strained turkey
Two tablespoons of cornstarch
Steps for making the Christmas turkey
Turkey preparation
Remove the neck and giblet bag from inside the turkey.
Slightly separate the skin of the turkey, inserting your fingers, you can help yourself with a spoon. Be very careful not to break the skin.
Season inside and out with salt and pepper.
Preparation of the juice for injection
Melt 180 grams of butter and add the orange juice. Beat to integrate.
Add the white wine and apple cider vinegar and continue beating.
Load a special syringe to inject the turkey with the juice and inject at strategic points on the turkey, tilting the syringe at approximately 40 degrees.
Preparing the flavored butter for the turkey
In a bowl add the chopped parsley, chopped fresh tarragon, the finely chopped garlic cloves, and the chopped or grated ginger.
Next, add the celery powder, the tablespoons of paprika, the mustard and the honey. Then add the whole butter, but at room temperature.
Crush the butter together with the other ingredients and beat with the help of a paddle to integrate everything well.
Add the lemon and orange zest to add extra flavor to the butter.
Spread the flavored butter under the skin of the turkey and on top. In case you can't quite get your fingers in to spread under the skin, simply run the butter with your fingers over the top. Try to muddy little by little and with patience, as it is somewhat slippery.
Preparation for baking and baking
Place on the tray where you will bake the chopped carrot, celery, onion, oranges, rosemary, orange juice, apple cider vinegar and white wine.
Also place the neck and the giblets of the turkey there on the tray so that they cook in this juice.
Place the turkey on the tray and put the whole potatoes inside.
Finally, add a few squirts of olive oil over the turkey.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate for about 4 hours.
After resting in the refrigerator, bake at 200ºC for 35 to 40 minutes for every kg that your turkey weighs.
When the turkey is 30 minutes to finish baking, remove from the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and bathe the turkey on all sides with the juice from the pan.
Return the turkey to the oven, but this time without aluminum, for the last thirty minutes, but basting the turkey every ten minutes.
Once the turkey is done, remove a cup from the pan for the gravy and a little more for the purée.
Remove the potatoes.
Preparation of the filling
In a high-walled skillet, add the bacon and sauté for a few minutes over medium heat.
After the bacon releases its fat, add the garlic cloves and chopped onions and let them sauté with the bacon for a few minutes.
Integrate the ham cubes and cook for two more minutes.
Add the raisins, almonds, peanuts and walnut pieces and sauté for a couple of minutes. Keep in mind that if one of these is not to your liking, you can skip it.
Within two to three minutes of sautéing the ingredients in the pan, add the ground beef and continue cooking until golden brown.
When the meat is almost done, add the apple, peach, and diced pear. Cook for two more minutes.
Add the sliced mushrooms and olives to taste. Continue sautéing and stirring until you notice that the meat is browned.
Fill the turkey with this mixture after removing the potatoes.
Preparation of the purée
Place the potatoes (with skin) in a bowl, chop them into four pieces each and begin to mash them.
Add 45 grams of butter and salt and continue mashing.
While the potato is still hot, add the cheddar cheese and shredded mozzarella. Keep pounding and mixing.
Add chopped dried parsley for more aroma and a little of the turkey juice, then continue mixing.
Making the gravy sauce
Strain the broth you removed from the turkey pan for the gravy, dropping into a saucepan.
Place the pot on the stove over medium heat and wait for it to boil.
Add two tablespoons of cornstarch with a little water mixed together and pour this liquid into the boiling broth.
Mix very well while it cooks for a few minutes until it thickens a little.
Once the sauce is at the point you like, remove from the heat.
Finally, serve the turkey with the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy on top, and enjoy warm for Christmas dinner.
Conclusions of the Christmas turkey
The Christmas turkey is a dish that cannot be missed at Christmas Eve dinners and that fortunately is not difficult to make. In fact, if you follow this recipe, we can assure you that your turkey will be perfect and everyone will love it.