Spiced Brined Roasted Turkey with Savoury Sausage Stuffing

When Chef Ryan roasts turkey, he does not cover it because he does not want to steam it. He bastes it often with pan juices, but does not baste in the last hour to ensure a crispy skin.

16-lb (7.3-kg) Spiced Brined Turkey Savoury Sausage Stuffing

Olive oil

1 Position oven rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F (220°C).

2 Bring turkey to room temperature before stuffing. Lift skin flap at the neck and loosely fill the cavity with stuffing. Bring flap down and skewer with toothpicks to hold in place. Then loosely fill body cavity with stuffing. Skewer the cavity closed. Bring legs together; tie or truss with kitchen twine if you like.

3 Any extra stuffing can be placed in a baking dish, drizzled with a little chicken broth, then covered and baked with the turkey, if there’s room, for 1 hour. Or refrigerate and bake within 2 days.

4 Place turkey, breastside up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Tuck wings under the body. Brush all over with oil. Roast, uncovered, at 425°F (220°C) for 30 minutes. Do not open the oven during this time. Then turn oven down to 325°F (160°C) and baste the bird with pan juices. Continue roasting, basting every half hour with pan juices and rotating the pan, until skin is a beautiful mahogany colour and an instantread meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the inner thigh reads 180°F (82°C). For crispy skin, do not baste during the last hour. Count on 18 to 20 minutes per lb (455 g) and check the thigh temperature often near the end of the cooking time. A 16lb (7.3kg) turkey should take about 4 1/2 hours.

5 Remove to a carving board and loosely tent with a large piece of foil. Let rest 20 minutes before carving.

Serves 8 to 10