The main event

Brined & buttered roast turkey with classic gravy

Brining guarantees juicy, seasoned meat once roasted. Start brining 24hr ahead. Or, if you’re short on time, start at step 3. SERVES 8, with leftovers PREP 45min, plus brining and resting COOK about 3½hr

• 5.4kg (12lb) free-range turkey, giblets removed

• 2 oranges

• 4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

• 4 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped

• 100g (3½oz) butter, softened

• About 600g (1lb 5oz) stuffing (see p122 for recipes)

• 2 large onions, skin on, sliced

FOR THE BRINE, OPTIONAL

• 300g (11oz) fine salt

• 175g (6oz) light brown soft sugar

• 2 oranges, 2 lemons, roughly chopped

• Handful of thyme and rosemary sprigs

FOR THE GRAVY

• 25g (1oz) plain flour

• 100ml (3½fl oz) white wine

• Double cream, optional

1 A day before you roast your turkey, prepare the brine mixture. In a large non-reactive container that will hold the turkey and fit into your fridge (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot) dissolve the salt and sugar in 5 litres (about

9 pint) cold water by stirring. Add remaining brine ingredients. Lower in turkey. Make sure turkey is covered with the brine mixture (add more cold water if needed). Cover and chill for up to 24hr.

2 Remove turkey from brine 1hr before cooking. Carefully rinse under cold running water (see Cook’s Tip) and sit on a board. Pat dry with kitchen paper and use tweezers to pluck out any stray feathers. Leave turkey to come up to room temperature.

3 Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Grate zest of 1 of the oranges into a medium bowl. Roughly slice the zested and unzested orange and set aside. To the zest bowl, add the thyme leaves, chopped rosemary leaves, softened butter and some seasoning. Mix.

4 Lift up turkey neck flap and use your fingers to ease skin gently away from the breast meat. Work ½ butter mixture under skin, spreading over meat. Put stuffing inside the neck cavity. Turn turkey over on to its breast, pull neck flap down and over stuffing, and secure with a skewer. Weigh turkey and calculate the cooking time, allowing 30-35min per kg (2lb 3½oz). Put ½ the orange slices into central turkey cavity.

5 Make a trivet in a large sturdy roasting tin with onions and remaining orange slices. Tie turkey legs together and rub over remaining flavoured butter mixture. Loosely cover tin with foil.

6 Roast for calculated time, basting occasionally (add a little water to tin if base is catching), removing foil for last 30min of cooking. To check the turkey is cooked, insert a fork into the thickest part of the breast and check that the juices run golden and clear. If there’s any red tinge to the juice, return the bird to the oven and keep checking every 10-15min. Alternatively, use a meat thermometer – the temperature needs to read at least 72°C when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.

7 Transfer turkey to a board (set aside the roasting tin for gravy); cover well with foil and then clean tea towels to help keep the heat in. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 30min or up to 1½hr.

8 Make the gravy. If there is excess fat, spoon some off (leaving other roasting remains in tin). Put tin over medium hob heat and whisk in flour (mashing the orange and onion slices as you go). Cook, whisking, for 1min. Gradually whisk in the wine (scraping up sticky bits from tin base). Leave to bubble for a few min. Next whisk in 400ml (14fl oz) water and leave to simmer, whisking occasionally, for 2min until thickened. Strain into a warmed gravy jug or clean pan (to reheat when needed). Check seasoning, adding a dash of cream if the brining has made the gravy too salty.

9 To serve, unwrap turkey and transfer to a warm serving plate. Remove skewer and garnish with rosemary and fried orange slices, if you like. Serve with gravy (reheated if needed).

GET AHEAD (if not brining) Prepare steps 3-5 up to a day ahead (don’t preheat oven). Chill. To serve, allow stuffed turkey to come up to room temperature before roasting. PER SERVING FOR 125G (4OZ) MEAT, 1TBSP STUFFING AND 50ML (2FL OZ) GRAVY: CALS 352; FAT 15G; SAT FAT 5G; CARBS 11G