Classic Christmas Roast Turkey
Elevate your Christmas feast with this classic roast turkey. This traditional holiday dish is sure to be the star of your festive table. Follow the steps below and get ready to create a memorable, mouth-watering meal that everyone is sure to love.
Ingredients for Turkey
3 – 4kg turkey
1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
1 small lemon, quartered
6 stalks of rosemary
6 stalks bunch thyme
6 stalks bunch sage
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock, plus extra for gravy
Vegetables for trivet and flavouring gravy
6 celery stalks cut into large pieces
6 large carrots chopped into large pieces
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
1 – 2 bulbs of garlic cut in half, crossways
Ingredients for garlic herb butter
1 cup salted butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup of chopped herbs including, rosemary, thyme, and sage loosely packed
Black pepper to taste
Ingredients for gravy
3 tablespoons of drippings from pan
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Tip for gravy ingredients and quantities: Use 3 tbsp pan dripping and 2 tbsp flour for every 1 cup of broth/stock. Simmer until thickened, but slightly thinner than you would like it (as it will thicken on cooling). Season to taste.
Optional: Roast potatoes and green salad to serve.
If the turkey is frozen, thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours. Then, remove from fridge an hour before cooking.
Adjust your oven rack to allow for the size of the turkey and preheat the oven to 180°.
Make the herb butter by combining softened butter, minced garlic, the chopped mixed herbs (you’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey).
Pat the skin and the cavity of the turkey dry with paper towel and season the cavity with salt and pepper (rub it in).
Separate skin from flesh above the cavity on top of the turkey and push a couple of heaped tablespoons of herbed butter under the skin and massage it evenly around.
Brush half more butter over the rest of the turkey under the wings and over the legs. If butter is too stiff to brush, microwave it in short bursts prior to brushing.
Then, stuff the cavity of the turkey with lemon, onion, bay leaf and whole sprigs of herbs. If any don’t fit, scatter them on the base of the pan to add flavour to the gravy.
Twist turkey legs together with twine to keep the turkey in a nice shape after cooking.
Place the rough, chopped carrots, celery, onions, and garlic on the base of a roasting pan, large enough to hold the turkey (so they cover the base of the pan thickly, and the turkey can sit on it out of any cooking liquid).
Add 2 cups of stock to the base of the pan to moisten the turkey as it cooks.
Place turkey on chopped vegetables and stock.
Then, place the turkey into the preheated oven and cook for approx. 2 hours (or 25 – 30 minutes per kilo pending size).
When around halfway into cooking time, take the turkey out of the oven and baste it with reserve butter. Cover the skin on top of the breast with foil to prevent It from becoming too brown.
When time is nearly up, take the turkey out of the oven and place on a platter, cover it with foil and leave it to rest for half an hour.
Meanwhile, strain vegetables out of the liquid lift in the bottom of the pan. Measure out drippings to make gravy (*see notes in gravy ingredients section).
Then serve turkey with gravy and desired sides, such as roast potatoes, and crisp cos leaves drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil.
