I break down the turkey, brine the (boneless) breasts, and cook them separately. I gave up on trying to roast a whole turkey long ago. It looks nice. That’s about it.

Basic order of play:

• Make brine
• break down turkey
• put breasts into the brine (optional, brine thighs and/or drumsticks as well)
• make stock from wings and backs
• after 18-24 hours, remove breasts from brine
• sous vide 61C for 6+ hours
• make chestnut dressing
• make cranberry sauce
• make brownies
• make green bean casserole
• make mash
• make gravy
• finish turkey breasts by brushing skin with melted butter and browning under broiler

I used to just roast the thighs and drumsticks as well but now just save them for another day. It’s hard to get turkey in the UK most of the year so it’s nice to have some in the freezer.

Some cooking notes:

BRINE — originally based on a recipe from Ruhlman & Polcyn’s Charcuterie. This is for 6l, which is enough for breasts and legs of 3 turkeys. Scale as needed: 6l water, 525g salt, 167.5g sugar, 63g pink salt, 3 bunches fresh tarragon, 3 bay leaves, 7 garlic cloves, crushed flat, 30g black peppercorns, 1 bunch fresh rosemary, juniper berries, coriander seed. Bring to a boil then let cool completely before using. Good to make the night before using and fridge.

Break down turkey: separate into thighs, drumsticks, wings, back, and boneless breasts. Then break down the back/carcass and wings into as many pieces as you can for stock making. For stock, roast the carcass and wings in a hot oven (I use 230C) until nicely browned. RESERVE ALL THE LIQUID from the roasting pan(s) in a pot in the fridge. This will be used for gravy later. Roasted bits then go into a stock pot with bay leaves, celery, onion, and cold water. Simmer for hours. Strain well and then reduce as desired.

CHESTNUT DRESSING (it doesn’t go into the bird so technically not a stuffing)

• bread cubes — I make a loaf using 600g wholemeal flour, cut the crusts off, cube it, then mostly dry the cubes in the oven
• chestnuts: 1400g frozen peeled chestnuts, roasted in a hot oven (200C or so) to add some colour, then chopped (fresh chestnuts are slightly better but a lot of work — score, roast, peel while hot, get a lot more than you think you need so you can throw away the ones that are bad)
• sausage meat, lightly browned, about 900g
• a bunch of celery and about three onions, sauteed in 500g butter
• fresh sage, chopped
• optional: I didn’t add these this year, but sometimes I add about 500g of mushrooms, sauteed in butter, and a shredded bramley
• mix all together then add hot turkey stock until desired consistency — if too much you can just bake it out
• bake, covered, at 200C for 30minutes then uncovered for 20minutes or until dark and a little crispy on top
• set aside then reheat in hot oven while cooking the green bean casserole

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE. I have fond childhood memories of green bean casserole made with frozen green beans and condensed cream of mushroom soup. This is slightly better but retains the spirit.

• 1200g green beans, cut and parboiled but still a bit cruncy
• 500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced and well sauteed in butter until brown and a bit crispy
• bechamel: 1l whole milk + roux from 65g butter, 65g flour, salt, and lots of black pepper
• mix all together in large casserole dish and top with a thin layer of good quality cheddar, grated (I use about 250g)
• bake uncovered on top rack at 180C+fan until bubbling and cheese is brown and crispy

MASH — well, it’s mash. Potatoes and heroic amounts of butter (butter 1/3 weight of potatoes).

GRAVY — the chilled pan drippings from roasting parts for stock will have separated into a nice hard disc of turkey fat on top — wedge that off and reserve. Heat the remaining drippings. Make a roux out of turkey fat and flour (I use a roux of 100g of each, for 3 turkeys’ drippings). Whisk into hot drippings. Heat until bubbly. It will probably be thick. Thin with your freshly made turkey stock until desired consistency.