traditional roast turkey

Roast turkey

Name: Roast turkey
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients: 1 turkey giblets removed; 125g butter at room temperature; 1 lemon zested; 1 clove garlic crushed (optional); olive oil; Maldon sea salt; 3 onions skins removed

olivemagazine

Published: March 25, 2015 at 3:09 PM

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Serves 8

A little effort

Total time: 2 hrs and 30 mins

+ resting time

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This is a simple and easy recipe to ensure your Christmas turkey is moist inside and crispy golden on the outside. Take the turkey out of the fridge at least 2 hours before you want to cook it to let it come up to room temperature.

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Alternatives

Complete the dish

Try this simple roast turkey, then check out our ultimate roast turkey, turkey crown, turkey gravy and more Christmas turkey recipes. Serve with all the Christmas trimmings, including pigs in blankets, sage and onion stuffing, roast carrots and parsnips, Brussels sprouts and Christmas red cabbage.

Ingredients

Nutrition

1 turkey

giblets removed
125g butter

at room temperature
1 lemon

zested
1 clove garlic

crushed (optional)
olive oil
Maldon sea salt
3 onions

skins removed

Nutrition: per serving

kcal544
fat30.7g
saturates13.9g
protein67.1g
salt1.14g

Method

step 1

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pat the turkey dry all over with kitchen paper. Mix the butter with the lemon zest and garlic (if using) and season well. gently push your fingers under the turkey’s skin, starting from the neck end of the bird, easing the skin away from the flesh. Spread the lemon butter under the skin on each breast then smooth the skin back into place. Quarter the zested lemon and put in the turkey cavity. Rub the turkey all over with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
step 2

Put the halved onions in the bottom of a large roasting tin to act as a trivet for the bird. Sit the turkey on top and cover completely with foil, tucking under the tin to create a foil tent. Cook the turkey for 25 mins per kilo (1 hour 40 minutes for a 4kg bird). Take out the turkey and turn up the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
step 3

Remove the foil and return the turkey to the oven for a further 30 minutes until golden. To test, pierce the fattest part of the thigh with a skewer. The juices should run clear. Rest the turkey, covered loosely with foil, for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour before serving (strain the cooking juices and keep the onions to use in the gravy, left).

All the trimmings for a traditional Christmas lunch:

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Best Christmas trimmings

Authors

olivemagazine

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