Forget fiddly stuffing balls, this clever roll tastes delicious, plus its practical shape makes it ultra-simple to slice
Prep:30 mins
Makes 2 rolls, each cuts into 8 slices
1 tbsp olive oil1 onion, finely chopped2 Bramley apples, approx 140/5oz each, peeled3 x 450g/1lb packs good-quality pork sausage2 x 200g/7oz packs vacuum-packed chestnuts, roughly chopped small bunch parsley, leaves roughly choppedsmall bunch sage, leaves roughly choppedsmall bunch thyme, leaves stripped1 egg100g white breadcrumb175g fresh or frozen cranberry24 rashers streaky baconbutter, for greasing
STEP 1Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then gently fry the onion for 5 mins until softened. Finely chop the apples either by hand or in a food processor.STEP 2Squeeze the sausagemeat from the sausages into a large bowl, then add all the other ingredients, except the cranberries and streaky bacon. Season generously, then get your hands in and mix well. Weigh out 450g of the stuffing and mix a handful of the cranberries into it. Use to stuff the neck of the turkey (see ‘Goes well with’).STEP 3To assemble, butter and season a large sheet of foil. Stretch out the bacon rashers slightly with the back of a kitchen knife, then overlap 12 rashers on the foil. Spoon half of the stuffing mix evenly over the bacon, leaving a border of about 3cm. Scatter with half the cranberries, then pat them in. Tuck the long edges of the bacon over the stuffing; then, using the foil to help, roll the stuffing up into a log shape. Repeat to make a second roll.STEP 4Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the foil-wrapped rolls onto a roasting tin and roast for 45 mins. Unwrap, draining off any juice, then finish roasting for 15 mins until the bacon is crisp.
