How to Roast a Turkey

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Planning is key to a successful Christmas turkey. So when you’re finished wrapping your presents and before you head to midnight mass, take your turkey out of the fridge so that it comes to room temperature and heats up as soon as you put it in the oven.

  • Preparation time: Overnight
  • Cooking time: Dependent on size of turkey

Ingredients

  • Turkey - size dependent on number of guests
  • 8oz/ 225 g streaky bacon
  • 6oz/ 175 g softened butter

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C).
  2. Place the bird on a board and remove any excess from inside the bird.
  3. Stuff your turkey with your chosen stuffing. Because turkeys are so large, stuff the neck cavity only. If the body cavity is stuffed, the turkey must be cooked for a longer period to ensure that the stuffing is cooked properly, resulting in over-cooked, dry meat. Do not over stuff the neck cavity as the stuffing swells as it cooks and will push its way out of the bird. Secure the neck skin firmly over the stuffing with skewers. Any extra stuffing can be shaped into balls and placed into an ovenproof dish to bake separately.
  4. Weigh the bird to calculate its cooking time once it is prepared or stuffed. As a general rule, allow 40 minutes per kg or 20 minutes per lb.
  5. To make sure that the turkey cooks evenly, you need to wrap the turkey in greaseproof paper and foil. So, lay two large sheets of foil, one widthways and one lengthways across the roasting tin and then the same with two large sheets of greaseproof paper. Place the turkey in the centre on the tray.
  6. Spread softened butter or drizzle and rub oil over the bird, then lay rashes of streaky bacon across the turkey breast and legs, as they are most prone to drying out.
  7. Lightly season the bird with salt and pepper.
  8. Now, fold the paper and foil up into a parcel, leaving room around the bird for air to circulate.
  9. An hour before the turkey has finished cooking, the paper, foil and streaky bacon are removed to allow the skin to brown evenly.
  10. Once the bird starts to brown, baste it in the hot fat every 20-30 minutes.
  11. Twenty minutes before the end of the estimated roasting time, remove the bird from the oven to check its progress. The skin of the bird may be crisp and golden brown but you must test if it’s cooked through. Insert a sharp, pointed knife into the deepest part of the breast or thigh: very little juice means the meat is rare; slow-flowing, light pink juices mean tha the meat is almost cooked; free-flowing colourless juices signify that the flesh is cooked through.
  12. Once the bird is cooked, remove from the oven, and the roasting tray, cover in foil and leave to rest for 10 -20 minutes. This makes the bird more succulent and easier to carve.
  13. This is the ideal time to make your gluten-free gravy