Classic (and easy) roast turkey

Classic (and easy) roast turkey
  • Serves icon Serves 8
  • Time icon Takes 15 minutes to make, 3 hours 20 minutes to cook, plus 1 hour’s sitting

Try a fuss-free, easy Christmas turkey recipe made simply with lemons, goose fat, onions and rosemary. It’s a festive turkey classic.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
236kcals
Fat
7.9g (4g saturated)
Protein
35g
Carbohydrates
6.8g (4.4g sugars)
Salt
0.4g
Calories
236kcals
Fat
7.9g (4g saturated)
Protein
35g
Carbohydrates
6.8g (4.4g sugars)
Salt
0.4g

Ingredients

  • 5kg fresh free-range turkey
  • 2 lemons, quartered
  • 50g goose fat
  • 6 onions, quartered
  • Large bunch of fresh rosemary

Method

  1. Season inside the turkey with a little salt and black pepper, then pop in the lemon quarters. Leave to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time at 20 minutes per 500g (so a 5kg turkey will take 3 hours 20 minutes).
  2. Grease the tin with a little of the goose fat, then arrange the onions and rosemary sprigs over the base. Sit the turkey on top, then spread the bird with the remaining goose fat and season with salt.
  3. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Cover the breast of the turkey with foil and cook in the oven for the calculated cooking time, basting with the juices occasionally.
  4. About 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the foil (add the stuffing balls to the tin at this stage, see p66) and return the turkey to the oven. Check it’s cooked through by pushing a skewer into the thickest parts of the thighs. If the juices are still pink and not clear, return to the oven for a further 15 minutes before testing again.
  5. Transfer the turkey to a board and cover tightly with buttered foil. Leave to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  6. Present on a platter lined with herbs (we used rosemary and bay leaves) and arrange stuffing balls around. Serve with aïoli and/or a gravy.

delicious. tips

  1. Using goose fat is the best way to get a crispy finish to both your Christmas bird and roast potatoes.

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