Ultimate roast turkey
With mulled wine gravy
3 hrs 40 mins plus cooling and resting
Not Too Tricky
serves 10
About the recipe
This is my ultimate guide to the most delicious, juicy turkey. It’s only once a year that we invest in this amazing bird, so it’s important to get it right. Technically, it’s one of the hardest meats to cook – so I’ve perfected the timings for cooking and resting, with a few nifty shortcuts to guarantee maximum flavour.
Ingredients
1 x 5.5kg free-range turkey with giblets
1kg pork stuffing
olive oil
1 clementine
1 clove
1 bay leaf
1 bunch of mixed woody herbs, such as rosemary, sage, thyme
250ml red wine
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
1.5 litres quality chicken, turkey or veg stock
TRIVET
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
2 onions
1 clementine
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
½ a cinnamon stick
Top Tip
To work out the timings for other bird weights, check out our guide to Christmas turkey.
Method
GET AHEAD
- On Christmas Eve, remove the giblets and place most of the stuffing into the neck of the turkey, then press the remainder into the cavity between the legs, leaving space for the air to circulate.
- For the trivet, use the heel of your knife to bash the neck to release more flavour. Roughly chop the heart, liver and kidneys. Clank up the celery and the carrots, then peel and quarter the onions. Chuck everything into a large roasting tray. (You could use the tray you used to mix the stuffing.)
- Halve one of the clementines and add to the tray with the bay leaves, star anise and cinnamon.
- Place a rack over the tray – large enough so it rests on the rim, then sit the turkey on the top – this allows space for air to circulate under the turkey so it cooks evenly and efficiently. Cover and place in the fridge until Christmas morning.
ON THE DAY
- Take the turkey out of the fridge 1½ hours before you want to cook it.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Rub the turkey with 2 tablespoons of oil and season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. When you’re ready to cook the turkey, spike the remaining clementine with one clove and a bay leaf, and microwave on full power for 40 seconds. Use tongs to carefully stuff it inside the front of the turkey (it will be quite hot!) along with the woody herbs. Cover the breast and legs with foil and roast for 1½ hours.
- Remove the foil, baste the turkey and return to the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour until beautifully golden, tender and cooked through, or until the juices run clear from the thickest part of the thigh if you pierce it with a knife or a skewer. Leave to rest for 1 hour to 1½ hours.
- To make the mulled wine gravy, skim all fat from the trivet tray into a jar – keep to make the most delicious roast potatoes!
- Remove the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and star anise from the tray and mash up the veg. Break up the turkey neck and strip off the meat. Scrape the meat and veg into a large pan placed on a high heat. Add the wine and bubble away, until reduced. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring for a minute or two, then pour in the hot stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let it tick away for half an hour, until thickened to your desired consistency.
- Strain through a coarse sieve, pushing everything through, and serve in a warm jug alongside your turkey. Happy Christmas!
Tags
Perfect Christmas gifts
