Turkey

Posted

Turkey

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

20ml Olive oil

1 x 5kg Good-quality free-range turkey

50g Salted butter softened to room temperature

Salt and pepper

10 Bay leaves

2 Onion cut into quarters

3 Carrots

2 Clementines cut in half

1 Handful rosemary

1 tbsp Cloves

2 Sticks of cinnamon

300ml Dry white wine

1-2 tsp Ground arrowroot or cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp cold water

 

Here’s how

  1. Remove the turkey from the fridge and bring to room temperature - this will take at least an hour. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220C.

  2. Meanwhile, using a pastry brush or your hands, smear the butter all over the turkey, then do the same with the olive oil.

  3. Season the turkey with plenty of salt and pepper, both inside the turkey and all over the outside.

  4. Place the turkey into a large roasting tray, then roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

  5. Remove the turkey from the oven and baste all over with the cooking juices.

  6. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C.

  7. Add the chopped onions, clementines, carrots, bay leaves and rosemary around the turkey.

  8. Pour the wine into the roasting tray as well as the cloves and cinnamon, then return the turkey to the oven and continue to cook for a further 1 hour, basting the bird with the cooking juices every 20 minutes (do this quickly to prevent the heat escaping from the oven).

  9. At the end of the cooking time, test that the turkey is cooked by using a thermometer probe. The temperature should be 75C for 2 minutes. If the turkey is not fully cooked, return it to the oven until it reaches temperature.

  10. Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer the bird to a large, deep-sided tray, reserving the roasting tray the turkey was cooked in along with the cooking juices. Set the turkey aside to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 1½ hours.

  11. When you’re almost ready to serve the meal, return the roasting tray used to cook the turkey to the stove top.

  12. Bring the cooking juices to the boil over a medium heat, scraping up any burned bits from the bottom of the tray using a wooden spoon.

  13. Collect the juices released by the turkey as it was resting and add them to the gravy.

  14. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed.

  15. Reduce the heat until the gravy is simmering, then stir in the arrowroot or cornflour and cook until the gravy has thickened.

  16. Strain the gravy through a sieve before serving .