Which of these three turkeys – whole bird, breast or crown – will your family love this year? Brown sugar & spice-glazed turkey with candied carrots
For maximum flavour, season and spice the turkey as far ahead as possible.
QServes 8
QPrep 30 mins plus chilling and resting
5-5½kg oven-ready turkey
50g butter, softened small bunch of thyme, plus extra to serve small bunch of bay leaves, plus extra
to serve
8 carrots, cut into large chunks
FOR THE SPICE MIX
2 star anise, crushed
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground black pepper
FOR THE DRY SEASONING
2 tsp light muscovado sugar
FOR THE BASTE
50g light muscovado sugar
50g maple syrup
50g butter, melted
100ml cider vinegar
1 Combine the spice mix ingredients in a bowl. For the dry seasoning, mix 2 tbsp sea salt with the sugar and half the spice mix. Sit the turkey in a roasting tin and gently push your fingers under the skin, starting from the neck, until you can push your whole hand down the length of the breast. Season the bird all over with the dry seasoning, inside
QCook 3 hrs 30 mins-4 hrs
and out, and under the skin. Chill, uncovered if you can, for at least 1 hr or up to two days. This will dry out the skin and make it crispier. 2 Put the remaining spice mix and the baste ingredients in a pan and heat until the sugar has dissolved, then set aside. Remove the turkey from the fridge 1 hr before cooking. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Work out the cooking time based on 40 mins per kg – a turkey this size should take around 3½ hrs, plus 30-45 mins resting. Smear the turkey with the butter and put the herbs in the cavity. Loosely cover with foil and roast for the calculated time. After 30 mins, pour over the spiced baste, then baste again every 30 mins. With 1 hr left, remove the foil. Put the carrots in the tin, stir to coat in the juices and continue to cook.
3 Check the temperature of the turkey with a cooking thermometer – when cooked, it should read 65C. Leave to rest on a warm platter (it will stay hot for about 1 hr). Continue to cook the carrots until tender. Serve the turkey garnished with fresh bay leaves and thyme, with the carrots.
PER SERVING 753 kcals, fat 33g, saturates 14g,
carbs 18g, sugars 17g, fibre 4g, protein 94g, salt 4.7g