The first time I cooked turkey for Christmas it was 11 years ago and I have never looked back! Now it’s a must for Christmas eve and I enjoy every step of it…truly delicious and so worth the effort. I don’t brine my turkey. For me the secret is basting it regularly every 20 minutes and of course lots of love.
Ingredients
- 1 turkey of 4 kg
- 1 recipe flavored butter
- 4 big carrots, chopped in big chunks at an angle
- 1 kg baby potatoes
- 2 big celery sticks, chopped in big chunks at an angle
- 2 yellow apples, quartered
- 4 big red onions, quartered
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cloves
- 3 oranges
- Handful of fresh herbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
TIP: Take your turkey out of the fridge at least an hour before roasting.
Method
- Preheat your oven to its highest setting.
- Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry all over with paper towels, not forgetting to pat dry the cavity as well.
- Place carrots, potatoes, celery, apples, red onions, cinnamon, cloves and fresh herbs in the bottom of the oven proof dish you will use to cook the turkey. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Squeeze the juice of 1 orange and add it to the veggies. Add a splash of olive oil and mix all together using your hands.
- Using your fingers gently separate the breast skin away from the meat keeping it attached from the sides. If you’re patient and careful it will come off without making holes.
- I poke the breast meat with a fork all over before spreading the flavored butter between the skin and meat. If you find the butter to be too much just use as much as u need. It wont look pretty but trust me it will taste amazing.
- Place the bird on the veggies in the tray and generously season it all over with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle all over with a bit of olive oil, cover loosely with tin foil and place in the oven. Turn down the heat to 180 and don’t be tempted to open the oven for at least 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes take the tin foil off and start the basting process every 20 minutes until the bird is cooked (4 hours or depending on the size) or until the juices run clear from the thigh if you pierce it with a knife.
- Carefully take the turkey out of the tray and place on your serving platter loosely covered in tin foil to rest for 30 minutes.
- Take the veggies out of the pan as well and skim most of the fat from the juices to start doing an insane gravy. Gravy Recipe below.
Larger turkeys require more vegetables. Increase the amount of vegetables for a more balanced meal.
Mashed potatoes are ideal with your Christmas turkey. Click here for the recipe
Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 50 gr butter
- 50 gr flour
- Chicken or beef broth as much as needed to obtain your preferred consistency
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Dissolve the butter in a pan and add the flour.
- Stir until the mixture forms a smooth paste which leaves the sides and base of pan cleanly.
- Cook for 2 minutes to cook out the taste of the flour.
- Pour in 2 ladles full of broth and whisk quickly after each addition until all the broth is absorbed by the roux.
- Add more broth, a ladle full at a time (always whisking vigorously) until you have a smooth sauce.
- Once you get the turkey out of the oven and place it on your serving tray along with all the veggies what you are left with are all the turkey juices and flavors from all the herbs and fat and veggies. Skim off some of the fat and the pour all those glorious juices into the gravy.
- Let simmer for a couple of minutes and enjoy!