Turkey is an essential feature of a Christmas dinner for many families. This incredible dish makes the perfect centrepiece of your dinner table. Enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner, Roasted Turkey.
Ingredients
Serves 8–10
- 1 free-range turkey, about 5–5.5kg
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 onions, peeled and halved
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
- 6 bay leaves
- olive oil, to drizzle
- 8 rashers of streaky smoked bacon
Lemon, parsley and garlic butter:
- 375g butter, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- finely grated zest and juice of 2 small lemons
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- small bunch of flat-leaf parsley – leaves only, chopped
Cooking Method
Preparation
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Meanwhile, prepare the herb butter. Firstly, put the butter into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. After that add the olive oil and mix well. Add the lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic and chopped parsley. Mix well to combine.
STEP 2: Now let’s prepare the turkey. Firstly, remove the giblets from the turkey cavity. Then season the cavity well with salt and pepper, then stuff with the onions, lemon, garlic halves and 2 bay leaves.
STEP 3: With your hands, loosen the skin on the breast from both ends of the bird so that you can stuff the flavoured butter underneath it, ensuring you keep the skin intact. Repeat with the skin on the legs – from the lower side of the breast feel your way under the skin and out towards the leg, loosening the gap.
STEP 4: Stuff half the butter mix into the opened spaces under the skin. From the outside of the skin, gently massage the butter around the breasts so that the meat is evenly covered. Finally, insert the rest of the bay leaves under the skin of the breasts.
Roasting
STEP 5: Firstly, place the bird in a large roasting tray, breast side up. Then spread the rest of the butter all over the skin. Season well with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a little olive oil. (If preparing a day ahead, cover the turkey with foil and refrigerate at this stage.)
STEP 6: Roast the turkey in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes. Then take the tray out of the oven, baste the bird with the pan juices and lay the bacon rashers over the breast to keep it moist. Baste again. Lower the setting to 180°C/Gas 4 and cook for about 2 1⁄2 hours (calculating at 30 minutes per kg), basting occasionally.
STEP 7: To test whether your turkey is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the leg and check that the juices are running clear, rather than pink. As oven temperatures and turkey shapes and sizes vary, checking your turkey about 30 minutes before the calculated roasting time is crucial. If the juices are pink, roast for another 15 minutes and check again. Repeat as necessary until the turkey is cooked.
Serving
STEP 8: Finally, transfer the turkey to a warmed platter and remove the parson’s nose, wings and tips of the drumsticks; reserve these for the gravy. Leave the turkey to rest in a warm place for at least 45 minutes; make the gravy in the meantime. Remove the bay leaves from under the skin before carving. Serve the turkey with the piping hot gravy, stuffing and accompaniments.
Serve this traditional Christmas dinner with wine, beer, whiskey, cocktails or tea.
Recommended Side dishes to the Roasted Turkey
ROASTED CARROTS: 3 EASY WAYS TO COOK IT
Reference: Ramsay, G. (2016) Roast Turkey with lemon, Parsley & Garlic, Gordon Ramsay.com. Available at: https://www.gordonramsay.com/gr/recipes/roast-turkey-with-lemon-parsley-and-garlic/ (Accessed: December 5, 2022)
How To Prepare a Turkey for Roasting (2008) YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYP0vVTW594 (Accessed: December 13, 2022).
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