THE big day is close now and our food columnist, Mark Doe of ‘Just Cooking’ cookery school in Firies, has the recipe for a perfect roast turkey…
As a rule a 7kg (14-15lb) turkey will feed 10-12 people with left over.
Ingredients
• 1 x 7kg Turkey (14-15lb) 175g unsalted butter (soft)
• 1 Lemon, cut in half 1 large onion, peeled
• 2-3 bay leaves 4 garlic cloves cut in 1/2
• Few sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme Salt and pepper
• 200ml white wine
• Stuffing
Continued below…
Method
• Pre-heat your oven to 220c/Gas mark 7
• Remove the giblets from the turkey.
• Season the butter well with salt and pepper.
• Use your hands to loosen the turkey skin away from the breast, and spread the butter under the skin.
• Now stuff the neck end of the turkey with your stuffing.
• Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the lemon, onion, garlic, bay leaves and rosemary or thyme.
• Place the turkey into a roasting tray. Pour 100ml of water into the tray.
• Loosely wrap the turkey, ensuring the parcel is tightly sealed.
• Place in the oven and cook for 40 minutes at the high temperature.
• After 40 minutes, reduce the temperature to 170c/gas mark 3 and cook for a further 3 ¼ hours.
• After the 3 ¼ hours remove the foil from the turkey and increase the oven temperature to 200c/gas mark 6 and give the turkey a final 30 minutes, basting the trurkey occasionally. This will ensure the turkey has a lovely golden colour.
• After the 30 minutes, pierce the thickest part of the turkey leg with a small knife and check that the juices run clear.
• Remove the turkey from the oven, wrap the tray lightly with foil and allow the turkey to rest for 30-40 minutes.
Cooking times for other size turkeys
• 8-10 lb (3.5-4.5 kg) – 30 minutes at the high temperature, then 2 ½ hours at the lower temperature, then a final 30 minutes (uncovered) at gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).
• 15-20 lb (6.75-9 kg) – 40 minutes at the high temperature, then 4 ¼ hours at the lower temperature, then a final 30 minutes (uncovered) at gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).
Please bear in mind that ovens, and turkeys vary and the only way of knowing if a bird is ready is by using the test described above.
