355. Plain Roasted Turkey, with Sausages.—This well-known dish, which has the joyous recollection of Christmas attached to it, and its well-known cognomen of ‘an alderman in chains,’ brings to our mind’s eye the famed hospitality of this mighty city. The following is my plan of cooking it.—It must be first trussed as follows: Having first emptied it, break the leg-bone close to the foot, and draw out the sinews from the thigh; cut off the neck close to the back, leaving the skin long; wipe the inside with a wet cloth, cut the breast-bone through on each side close to the back, and draw the legs close up; fold a cloth up several times, place it on the breast, and beat it down until it lies flat; put a skewer in the joint of the wing, and another through the middle of the leg and body, one through the small part of the leg and body, close to the side-bones, and another through the extremity of the two legs. The liver and gizzard should be placed between the pinions of the wings, and the points turned on the back. When thus trussed, singe all the hair off that may remain, take about one pound of stuffing (see Receipt), and put it under the skin at the neck, tie the skin under, but not too tight or it may burst in roasting, put it on to a small-sized spit and fasten it with a holdfast, or hang it neck downwards from a bottle-jack, put it about eighteen inches from a good roasting-fire, let it turn about ten minutes, when the skin is firm and dry you press into the bowl of a wooden spoon, so that it sticks, about one ounce of butter, and rub the turkey all over with it; when all melted, remove the turkey eight inches further from the fire: one of about six pounds will take two hours to roast without pouring any fat over it. In case your fire is too fierce and likely to break the skin, draw it back still more; it will, with proper care, be of a golden color. I do not object to the gizzard being placed under the wing when roasting, but never the liver, which I cook in the dripping-pan, as the gravy which would run from it would spoil the color of the breast. When done, remove it, cut the strings, lay it on your dish, and pour under half a pint of good brown gravy, or make some with glaze; or, whilst the bird is roasting, butter the bottom of a small stewpan, pick and slice two onions, lay them at the bottom, cut the neck in small pieces, add half a spoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, a little turnip, one clove, set on a slow fire till the onions are of a brown color, then add a pint of water, let it simmer for nearly one hour, then pass it through a sieve into a basin, skim off the fat, return the gravy again into a stewpan, give it a boil, and, when the turkey is ready to send to table, pour it under; if a little beef or veal handy, add it to the gravy if you require much.
This plan of roasting is adapted for all birds, and all my receipts for plain roasting of poultry will refer to this, with the alteration of the time which each takes to cook.
For Sausages, I seldom broil them; I prick them with a needle, rub the bottom of the frying-pan with a little butter, put twelve sausages in it, and set it on a slow fire and fry gently for about fifteen minutes, turning them when required (by this plan they will not burst), serve very hot round the turkey, or on a separate dish, of smoking-hot mashed potatoes; to vary the gravy I have tried the following plan: take off the fat which is in the frying-pan into a basin, then add the brown gravy, mix a good teaspoonful of arrow-root in a cup with a wineglassful of cold water, pour in the pan, boil a few minutes, pass it through a sieve, and serve with the turkey. The gravy this way is excellent.