Categories: Christmas, December

Ingredients

• 3.5kg oven-ready turkey
• parsley stalks (left from the stuffing)
• 3 large sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 small lemon
• 50g butter, at room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C/fan 200˚C/gas 7. Remove the giblets and start making the gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out and dry well. Spoon some potato stuffing into the neck cavity to round the end, tuck the flap of skin back under the bird and secure with a fine skewer. Spoon the remaining stuffing into a lightly greased, shallow, ovenproof dish and set aside. Season the body cavity, then push in half the herbs. Stab the lemon all over with a fine skewer and push inside the bird, plus the rest of the herbs. Truss the turkey, weigh and calculate the cooking time.

2. Pour 600ml water into the bottom of a large roasting tin and place a rack in or over the tin. Rest the turkey on the rack and spread the softened butter over the whole bird, making sure to cover the legs. Season well. Cover the turkey loosely with a large sheet of foil, sealing it well under the rim of the tin. Place it in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 190˚C/fan 170˚C/gas 5 and cook for the calculated cooking time. For the last 30 minutes of cooking you need to uncover the turkey and increase the oven temperature to 200˚C/fan 180˚C/gas 6 – this will brown the skin. Baste it regularly with the cooking juices. Put the stuffings into the oven, too. They will take about 40 minutes.

3. At the end of this time, check the turkey is cooked by pushing a fine skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the juice runs clear, it’s cooked; if there are atill traces of pink, return to the oven for 15 minutes or so.

4. Remove the turkey from the oven, lift it onto a board and leave it to rest somewhere warm for 20 minutes – you will end up with a very moist, tender turkey, and you can use the time to get the rest of the meal ready. (Lower the oven temperature when the stuffings are golden to keep warm.)

5. Strain the cooking juices into a jug, allow to settle, then spoon off the excess fat before making the gravy. Carve the turkey and serve with the other trimmings and squash wedges, roasted alongside the bird for 40 minutes, if you like.

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