Turkey not cooked well can be quite dry and flavourless. That’s why I’m using both herb butter stuffed under the skin and bacon draped over the breasts to add extra moisture and flavour. Basting ? regularly will also help the turkey re-absorb as much of its own juices as possible.
Roast Turkey with Chilli, Lemon & Herb Butter
4 to 6kg turkey, fresh or frozen
1 lemon, halved
2 onions, peeled and halved
Half a garlic head, unpeeled
Bunch of parsley stalks
8 strips of streaky bacon
Herb butter (prepared the night before)
Salt & pepper
What to do
Take turkey out of fridge at least 1 hour before cooking, making sure it’s properly de-frosted. Preheat oven to 240°C (or 460°F).
Remove giblets from turkey cavity and season cavity well with salt & pepper. Then massage more salt & pepper all over the turkey skin.
Use finger to loosen the skin on breast and thighs, then stuff most of the herb butter under skin. Spread rest of butter all over the turkey skin.
Prick lots of holes in lemon using the tip of knife to allow flavour to seep out during cooking. Place lemon, onions, garlic head and parsley stalks inside the cavity.
Turkey before:
Roast turkey in hot oven for 15mins to brown the skin. Take out turkey and baste with pan juices, then place bacon strips over the breast and thighs.
Lower temperature of oven to 180°C (or 350°F) and continue to cook for 30mins per 1kg (or 15mins per pound).
Baste turkey with pan juices approximately every 30mins. If turkey starts drying up, add a dash of wine or stock to the tray and baste.
Test doneness 30mins before by inserting a skewer into thickest part of leg and if juices run clear, then take out turkey.
Remove lemon, onions, garlic, bacon and turkey wing tips, and set aside for making the gravy. Transfer turkey to another plate and cover loosely with tinfoil. Rest for at least 1 hour before carving.
Even though I made a stuffing, it is strongly recommend NOT to stuff the turkey with it as there is a good chance that the turkey will not cook properly. Many recipes call for trussing or tying up the turkey so that it cooks evenly. Here I listened to Jamie Oliver again, who prefers to let the legs hang free so that hot air circulates around them.
Before you roast the turkey, make sure the wing tips are tucked underneath the breasts or covered with tinfoil since they burn very easily. It is very, very important that you let the turkey rest properly before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, ensuring moist and tender meat.
Turkey after:
Apple Cider Gravy
Half cup of apple cider
Giblets and neck from turkey, roughly chopped
Lemon, onions, garlic, bacon and wing tips from turkey
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 Tablespoon flour
2 cups of chicken stock
What to do
Skim excess fat from roasting tray, and reserve. Pour remaining roasting juices into a saucepan, deglaze ? roasting tray with cider and add to saucepan.
Sauté giblets in some turkey fat for 10mins. Roughly chop onion, garlic and bacon, and add to saucepan with giblets, wing tips and squeeze of roasted lemon juice.
Add tomato paste and simmer for 30mins, mashing the solids into the gravy to extract more flavour. Then pour gravy through a sieve to remove the solids, and return to saucepan.
In a separate pan, combine 1 Tablespoon of turkey fat with flour to create a roux ?. Add the roux and chicken stock to gravy.
Continue to simmer until you get the desired consistency. Season with salt & pepper, and garnish with chopped parsley and walnuts before serving hot.
Most recipes will recommend cooking gravy in the roasting tray itself but that really isn’t an option in my small kitchen. Just make sure you pick up as much of the brown caramelised bits as you can when deglazing the roasting tray so all that flavour gets transferred to the saucepan.
