Ballyknocken Bay, Thyme and Cranberry Christmas Turkey (With Bacon Stuffing Balls!)

This week we're sharing our favourite festive recipes, hand picked from Catherine Fulvio's latest cookbook, A Taste of Home, which showcases the best ingredients Ireland has to offer with a collection of delicious, reliable recipes. This Christmas Day feast, Ballyknocken Bay, Thyme and Cranberry Christmas Turkey (With Bacon Stuffing Balls!) serves eight to 10 people. "My claim to fame is that I’m a decent turkey plucker, having spent many hours helping my mother prepare turkeys for the Christmas market when she closed the B&B for the winter months." - Catherine Fulvio FOR THE BASTING MIX 100ml cranberry juice 4 tbsp light brown sugar 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 2 tsp chopped thyme freshly ground black pepper rapeseed oil, for roasting 4.5kg oven-ready turkey, giblets and neck removed 2 tbsp butter, melted salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 onion, sliced in half, for the cavity 1 large sprig of bay leaves, for the cavity 1 lemon, cut in half, for the cavity 2 tsp thyme, chopped INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6. Put all the ingredients for the basting mix into a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer over a medium to low heat for about 10 minutes until it thickens slightly. Set aside and let it cool. Calculate the cooking time for the turkey. This will be 25 to 30 minutes per kg plus an extra 30 minutes, and it will need a resting time of 30 minutes. So, for a 4.5kg bird, you’ll need to put it in the oven 2 hrs 50 mins to 3 hrs 15 mins before you want to eat. Pour some oil into a foil tray liner in a roasting tray. Place the turkey, breast side up, into the tray. Brush with the melted butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the onion, bay leaves and lemon into the cavity and spoon in about 4 tbsp of the basting mix. Pour half of the rest of the basting mix over the turkey and sprinkle over the chopped thyme. Place in the preheated oven and baste every 30 minutes. Use foil to cover the turkey if it is browning too fast. FOR THE STUFFING BALLS Rapeseed oil, for frying 200g diced smoked bacon 2 onions, very finely chopped 2 celery sticks, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 300g fresh breadcrumbs 3 tbsp dried cranberries, finely chopped 1½ tsp chopped sage 1 tbsp chopped parsley 2 free-range eggs, beaten salt and freshly ground black pepper sprigs of bay leaf, to garnish 5 sprigs of thyme, to garnish To prepare the stuffing balls, heat a large frying pan with some oil over a medium heat and fry the bacon until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and set aside. Add the onions and celery to the pan and sauté until softened but not browned. This will take about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, cranberries, sage, parsley, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the crispy bacon and the beaten eggs. Mix well and, with wet hands, shape into balls. Heat some oil in a large frying pan. Add the stuffing balls in batches, brown and heat through, then remove and keep warm. To serve the turkey, when rested, unwrap the foil and place the bird on a large, warm platter. Pile the stuffing balls on the side. Garnish with bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Serve with Garlic and Rosemary Roast Potatoes.