Maple-Spiced Roast Turkey

This is the essence of Christmas — a roast turkey brined with aromatic spices and a hint of citrus, roasted with multiple bastings and complete with a herby, spiced stuffing.

Serves: 8

5kg whole turkey

2 cinnamon quills

4 cloves

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp black peppercorns

4 star anise

2 tbsp ginger root, sliced

4 bay leaves

2 oranges, sliced

½ cup coconut sugar or rapadura

½ cup maple syrup

250g Maldon sea salt flakes — available in supermarkets or gourmet grocers

(if using table salt use 200g)

6-7L water (or as much as you need to submerge it)

Stuffing

2 red onions, finely diced

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

150g dried cranberries

½ bunch fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

4 slices sourdough bread, processed into crumbs 1 orange, zest & juice

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

80g pine nuts, toasted

Baste

50g butter, melted ¼ cup maple syrup

1. Start with brining your bird. This sounds very complex but it’s not at all and the brining process ensures a beautiful, tender and tasty meat. I used a plastic storage container (you could also use a bucket) to brine my turkey. You need it to be able to fit in your fridge. Finding a spot in a full fridge is the hardest part of brining. I used our camping cooler to keep it at a safe temperature while brining!

2. Place all the spices, orange, sugar, maple syrup and sea salt in the brining container and add the water. Mix until the sugar and salt dissolve completely. Submerge the turkey fully (add more water if needed) and leave (kept well chilled) overnight or for 8-18 hours (but no longer).

3. You can make your stuffing the day before. Sauté the onion in the olive oil over a low heat until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 more min. Add to a mixing bowl with all of the other ingredients. Cover and set aside in the fridge.

4. On the day you are cooking, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse in fresh cold water, pat dry well with a kitchen towel and leave uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour (to dry the skin fully). If flies are an issue, cover with a netted cover. If you have not made the stuffing already, do this while the turkey comes to room temperature. 5. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced.

6. Stuff the turkey by pushing the stuffing into the cavity, then tying the legs tightly with kitchen string.

7. Make the baste by mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl.

8. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan or on an oven tray. Baste the turkey all over with the baste (setting it aside for further basting).

9. Cook for 20-30 mins (watching it doesn’t darken too much — you want it to be golden), then baste again and turn the oven temperature down to 180°C fan-forced.

10. Cook for another 2–3 hours, basting every 40 mins or so. Cooking time can vary a bit depending on how cold your bird is when it goes into the oven, so check it with a meat thermometer as needed. The brining process allows a fair bit of leeway (so you can afford to be less exact than if you didn’t brine it).

11. If it becomes too brown, cover loosely with foil. Use a meat thermometer inserted into the leg joint or pierce with a small knife and if the juices run clear, it’s cooked.

12. If your turkey is a different size, base your cooking time on about 40 mins per kilo.

13. Rest for 30–60 mins before carving.