The Best Roast Turkey Christmas Or Any Time Food

PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
• Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
• Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
• Slice the turkey and serve.

NEXT LEVEL ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Up to 48 hrs and at least 12 hrs before cooking, loosen the skin over the turkey breast so you can get your hands underneath it. Season the bird all over, including under the skin, with 2 tbsp sea salt. Put the turkey in a large roasting tin, breast-side up. Leave uncovered in the fridge until ready to cook.
• Remove the turkey from the fridge at least 1 hr before cooking. Heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Melt the butter in a pan set over a low heat, then add the garlic, chopped herbs and lemon juice. Sizzle for 1 min, remove from the heat and leave to cool a little. Remove the turkey from the tin and scatter in the onions, carrots, turkey neck and giblets. Put a roasting rack, trivet or ovenproof cooling rack in or over the tray and sit the turkey on top. Stuff the squeezed and whole lemons in the turkey cavity with the herb stalks and extra thyme. Lift the skin and spoon about 4 tbsp of the garlicky herb butter over the meat underneath, then massage the skin to spread it out. Brush most of the remaining butter all over the bird, reserving about 2 tbsp. For a neat finish, tie the wings and legs together.
• Put the turkey in the oven and reduce the heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast for 1 hr, then remove from the oven and brush with more of the butter. Turn the tin around and return to the oven for another 30 mins. Brush again with the butter and roast for another 30 mins. After the turkey has had 2 hrs in total, check its temperature with a probe thermometer. It's cooked perfectly when the thickest part of the breast reads about 65C and the thickest part of the thigh reads 75C. If the temperature is lower, return the turkey to the oven for periods of 15 mins until the temperature is reached. Cool for 10 mins on the rack, then transfer to a board and leave upside down - the turkey should rest for at least another 20 mins and will stay hot for at least 40 mins more.
• Meanwhile, make the gravy. If the roasting tin is flameproof, put it directly over a medium heat. If not, scrape the contents into a large, shallow pan. Scatter over the flour and stir to make a paste. Add the soy sauce and yeast extract, stir, then pour in the wine and combine to form a thick paste. Pour in the stock and turkey juices (if you aren't already cooking them in the roasting tin). Simmer for about 5 mins, stirring to make a rich gravy. Strain into a jug or pan to reheat when needed.
• Put the turkey on a platter, then serve with the gravy and other trimmings of your choice.

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the onion and a large sprig of bay in the cavity between the legs. Now pack half the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it towards the breast. Secure the neck skin in position with skewers and tie the turkey legs together at the top of the drumsticks to give a neat shape.
• Weigh the turkey and calculate cooking time at 20 mins per kilo, plus 90 mins. (You may need to use your bathroom scales.)
• Put a large sheet of extra-wide foil in a large roasting tin, then put the turkey on top. Smear the breast with the butter, grate over half the nutmeg and season well. Cover the breast with bacon, pour over the wine, then loosely bring up the foil and seal well to make a parcel.
• Roast in the oven, then 90 mins before the end of cooking, open the foil, discard the bacon, and drain off excess fat from the tin. Leaving the foil open, return the turkey to the oven to brown, basting with the juices several times. Then 30 mins before the end of cooking, place pigs-in-blankets and stuffing of your choice around the turkey, or cook in a separate lightly oiled tin.
• To test whether the turkey is cooked, push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh - the juices should run clear. If they are pinkish, cook for 15 mins more, then test again.
• Transfer the turkey, stuffings and pigs-in-blankets to a platter, cover with foil, then a couple of tea towels and allow to rest for up to 30 mins before carving. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat, ensuring that the turkey will be juicy. Garnish with sprigs of bay.

THE BEST ROAST TURKEY YOU COULD EVER EAT

Steps:

• Rinse the turkey and dry it well. Sprinkle the cavity well with salt. Stuff as desired.
• Rub the softened butter all over the outside of the bird, and sprinkled it lightly with salt.
• Place the turkey on the rack of a large roaster, which has a heavy bottom, pouring about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the pan.
• Lay the neck and giblets alongside, cover the pan tightly and put it on the large burner on top of the stove. Allow it to boil and then steam gently for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, approximately the same length of time that it would take to roast the same bird. Take care to see the pan does not cook dry.
• When the drumsticks are loosened and the meat thermometer indicates the bird is about done, dribble a bot of soft butter over the skin, sprinkled it with a bit of white sugar and flour and bang it into a 350*F oven to brown while theaccompanying vegetables are cooking on top of the stove.
• The drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan will be a rich dark brown. Skim off any fat and then use them to make a rich gravy.

EASY CHRISTMAS TURKEY

Steps:

• Take your turkey out of the fridge at least 1 hr before you cook it. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and beat the butter with the rosemary. Starting from the neck of the turkey, carefully push your fingers underneath the skin until you can get your whole hand between the skin and the breast meat. Trying not to tear the skin as you go, spread the butter inside the pocket, squishing some into the crevice between the thigh and breast meat.
• Put the garlic, lemon and bay leaves inside the turkey, then season liberally all over. Put the shallots in your largest flameproof roasting tin and put the turkey on top, breast-side up. Roast for 1 hr, then give it a good baste, pour in the wine and nestle the cabbage wedges in the tin (or underneath the turkey if they won't fit). Return to the oven for another 30 mins - covered with foil if the turkey is looking too brown. The juices should run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh, or a thermometer should read 75C. If not done, carry on cooking for a further 5-10 mins.
• Set aside the turkey on a board to rest for 1 hr, transferring the garlic and bay to the roasting tin for the gravy. If you want crispy skin, don't cover the turkey. Wrap the cabbage wedges in two parcels of foil, with a spoonful of the turkey juices, season liberally and return to the bottom of the oven to carry on cooking while the turkey rests.
• Spoon away most of the turkey fat, then put the tin on the hob over a medium heat. Mash the veg with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much flavour as possible , then pour in the stock and reduce the gravy by half. If you want to thicken it, stir in the cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water. Once happy with the consistency, strain and keep warm until ready to eat.