Preparation of the filling

• Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onions and diced celery and sauté over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent.
• Add the sage, stir and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 150 ml of soup, stir and cook for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half.
• Then place the onion mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with the rest of the stock.

Preparation of the turkey

• Remove the turkey from the fridge and leave to stand at room temperature for two hours. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Preheat the oven to 230 °C and prepare the marinade and a large cheesecloth (editor's note: gauze/linen) for the turkey.
• For the marinade, melt the butter in a pan and add the white wine.
• Fold the cloth into quarters and cut, then soak in the butter and wine mixture.
• Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a heavy metal roasting pan.
• Fold the wing tips under the turkey.
• Season the inside of the turkey with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the prepared stuffing. Bake any leftovers in a buttered baking dish in the oven at 190 °C for 45 minutes.
• Tie the legs of the turkey loosely together with kitchen twine (a bow can easily be untied later).
• Fold over the neck flap and secure with toothpicks.
• Rub the turkey with the softened butter, sprinkle with the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and the rest of the pepper.
• Remove the cloth from the liquid and squeeze it lightly so that it remains very moist. Place this evenly over the breast and about halfway up the sides of the turkey.

Preparation of the turkey

• Place the turkey in the oven on the lowest shelf - legs first - and cook for 30 minutes.
• Then brush the cloth and the exposed parts of the turkey with the butter and wine mixture again and continue cooking. Reduce the oven temperature to 175 °C and cook for a further 2 ½  hours, basting every 30 minutes and keeping an eye on the juices. If the pan gets too full, skim off the juices and keep for the sauce.
• Carefully remove the cloth after three hours. Turn the roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Brush the turkey with gravy.
• If there is not enough gravy, continue to use the butter and wine mixture. The skin becomes sensitive as it tans, so apply carefully. Cook for a further hour, brushing every 30 minutes.
• Monitor the temperature: After four hours, prick an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (be careful not to prick a bone).
• The core temperature should reach 80 °C (the stuffing should be a maximum of around 70 °C) and the turkey should also be golden brown on the outside. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature.
• If the legs are not fully cooked through, brush the turkey again, return to the oven and cook for a further 20 to 30 minutes.
• When the turkey is fully cooked, transfer to a serving dish and leave to rest for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the sauce.
• Pour all the gravy into a glass measuring jug. Leave to stand until the fat rises to the surface (takes about 10 minutes), then remove the foam.
• For the sauce, pour 200 ml of dry red or white wine or water into the frying pan (in which the turkey was prepared) and heat up. Scrape the pan with a wooden spoon until the liquid boils and all the crispy bits have been released from the pan.
• Pour the sauce into the pan, stir well and bring to the boil again. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. This takes about 10 minutes.
• Then add the gravy and cook for a further 10 minutes over a medium-high heat. This makes about 600 ml Sauce. Season to taste, strain and serve with the turkey.