It’s the season of love and nothing says love like sharing food with family. Forget about the calories this holiday, just eat good food and relax with those you care about. How about adding this turkey recipe to the list of all the amazing foods you’ve already planned for the holidays. It’s an easy recipe, which makes it perfect for a stress-free Christmas lunch.
Ingredients
- 20ml vegetable oil
- 5kg turkey
- 40g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 pinches sea salt
- 200ml water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking sauce
- Potatoes and steamed seasonal vegetables, to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 230C/220C
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based roasting tray on the stovetop. Add the chopped turkey wings and neck and fry for 8-10 minutes, turning the pieces over every 2-3 minutes, or until evenly browned all over.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, soften the butter with the back of a spoon, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using a pastry brush or your hands, smear the seasoned butter all over the turkey. Add any remaining butter to the roasting tray once the chopped wings and neck have been browned.
- Place the turkey on top of the wing and neck pieces, then roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and baste all over with the cooking sauce.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/150C
- Pour the water into the roasting tray, then return the turkey to the oven and continue to cook for a further 1 hour, basting it with the cooking sauce every 20 minutes (do this quickly to prevent the heat from escaping from the oven).
- At the end of the cooking time, test that the turkey is cooked through by inserting a roasting fork into the thickest part of its thigh; if the juices run clear, the meat is cooked. If the turkey is not fully cooked, return it to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until the juices run clear.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer it to a large, deep-sided tray, reserving the roasting tray the turkey was cooked in along with the cooking sauce. Set the turkey aside to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- While the turkey is resting, roast your potatoes and cook your vegetable.
- To serve, bring the turkey to the table and carve it into slices. Serve with roast potatoes and vegetables.
Image from BBC