Christmas TURKEY

LET YOUR TURKEY BE THE STAR OF THE SHOW THIS CHRISTMAS!

For approx 8. servings

INGREDIENTS

• 5kg whole turkey, cleaned, gutted, and trimmed

For the stuffing

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 large onions, diced

• 1/2 tsp caster sugar

• 150g fresh breadcrumbs

• 25g sage, leaves only, chopped • 25g flat-leaf parsley, chopped • 1 lemon, zest only, finely grated • 1 large egg, beaten

• 60g butter, melted

• Salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

For the seasoning

• 1 tsp paprika – smoked or sweet

depending on your taste

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• 1 tsp dried sage

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp ground pepper

• 1 tsp coarse salt

• 1 tsp brown sugar

For the baste

• 50g melted butter

• 50g light muscovado sugar

METHOD Prepare your turkey For that lovely, crispy skin, you’ll need to dry season your turkey. Place the bird in a roasting tin and pat dry. Loosen the skin by gently pushing your hands underneath it. Start from the neck and work down, taking care not to tear the skin. Mix all y our dry seasoning ingredients together and use half to rub all over the turkey, on top and under the skin. L eave in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Create a baste by melting butter and adding the remaining half of the seasoning mix and the muscovado sugar. Set this aside until you need it.

For the stuffing

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large frying pan set over medium heat. Add the onions, a generous pinch of salt, and the sugar, frying until golden and caramelised, about 12-15 minutes.

2. Tip out into a mixing bowl and add

TIP! For the crispiest skin, leave the turkey uncovered in the fridge after dry seasoning. Ensure it does not come into contact with anything else.

the breadcrumbs, herbs, lemon zest, beaten egg, the melted butter, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Stir well to combine.

For the turkey

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C, 150° fan, gas 3.

2. Remove the turkey from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Pack the stuffing into the turkey’s cavity. Truss the turkey or tie the legs with kit chen string or butcher's twine.

3. Smear the outside of the turkey with butter and loosely cover with foil.

4. Your cooking time should be 40mins per kg, so 3.5 hours for a 5kg bird, plus resting time. Baste your turkey every 30 mins with the baste previously made. Remove the foil for the last hour.

5. You can check your turkey with a cooking thermometer, it should read around 65°C, and the juices should run clear.

6. When the turkey is ready, remove it from the oven and transfer to a warm platter and let rest for 30-45 mins before serving.

TIP! You can easily switch out some out the ingredients in the dry seasoning for your own favourites, or items you already have on your spice rack!