Good Food roast turkey recipe | Meat recipes

Turkey recipe

Cooking the turkey for Christmas – Good Foods roast turkey with lemon, parsley, and garlic

Want to know how to cook a turkey perfectly? Remembering to work out enough time for the bird to come up to room temperature, to cook, and to rest for 2 hours will determine when you start cooking and when you eat. Plan ahead! ” If your Christmas dinner is all about the turkey, we’ve got the best Christmas turkey recipe for you with our delicious turkey stuffing for you to pack into your bird. To ensure both the turkey and stuffing are cooked properly, we bake the stuffing separately.

Another of our secrets is to rest the turkey for a couple of hours or more. As it relaxes, the juices are reabsorbed, making the meat succulent, tender, and easier to carve. It may seem like a long time, but the texture will be improved the longer you leave the turkey to rest. This recipe takes 3hrs to prepare and cook and serves around 10 people. Any leftovers would make a delicious curry the next day! See our leftover turkey curry recipe.

TIME

Prep: 40 mins

Cook: 3 hours

Total: 3 hours and 40 mins

Cuisine: Christmas

NUTRITIONAL FACTS

Calories: 214 per serving

Fat: 0.1g

Carbs: 0.1g

Protein: 32g

Full Recipe in Details

INGREDIENTS

1 5 kg turkey
Sea & Black pepper
3 onions peeled and halved
1 lemon halved
5 bay leaves
1 head of garlic
olive oil
10 rashers smoked streaky bacon
400 grams butter
2 lemons zest and juice
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch chopped parsley

GUIDE / INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Meanwhile, prepare the herb butter. Put the butter into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and mix well. Add the lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic and chopped parsley. Remove the giblets from the turkey season the cavity well with salt and pepper, then stuff with the onions, lemon, garlic halves, and 3 bay leaves.
With your hands, loosen the skin on the breast from both ends of the bird so that you will be able to stuff the flavored butter underneath it, making sure you keep the skin intact. Repeat with the skin on the legs –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.
Place the bird in a large roasting tray, breast side up. Spread the rest of the butter all over the skin. Season well with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast the turkey in the hot oven for 15 minutes. 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 2½ hours.
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. If the juices are pink, roast for another 15 minutes and check again. Repeat as necessary until the turkey is cooked. Transfer the turkey to a warmed platter. Leave the turkey to rest in a warm place for at least 45 minutes. Serve the turkey with the piping hot gravy, stuffing, and accompaniments.