A classic Thanksgiving table is incomplete without this golden bird. We’ve heard that roast turkey can often get a bad rep for being too dry – but this recipe guarantees a succulent and juicy roast turkey that will be sure to impress.
Here’s what you need:
Ingredients:
1 13lbs turkey, with giblets if possible
125 g unsalted butter
1 clementine
½ a bunch of fresh bay, sage, rosemary
2 onions
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
Preparation:
Get your turkey out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours in advance, depending on its size, so it can come up to room temperature. Check the main cavity for the bag of giblets, and if they’re in there, remove them and tip into your roasting tray. This is to add extra flavour for your gravy.
Warm the butter in your hands then rub and massage it all over the bird, getting into every crevice then sprinkle sea salt and black pepper.
Cut the clementine and place in the main cavity with the fresh herbs – you don’t want to pack it full as you want to allow hot air to circulate.
Fill the neck cavity with a stuffing of your choice, but don’t stuff it in too tightly, then pull the skin back over it and tuck it under the bird. You’ll get a good contrast between the soft, juicy stuffing here and the crispier stuff you can bake off in a dish.
Roughly chop the vegetables and chuck into the tray with the giblets to make your trivet, then sit the turkey on top and cover the tray with tin foil.
For a 13lbs bird, we recommend cooking for 2 hours 42 minutes. Remove the tin foil about 45 minutes before the end of cooking, to allow the turkey to get nice and golden.
Use heavy duty tongs to lift up your turkey so all the juices run from the cavity into the tray, then transfer the turkey to a platter, cover it with a double layer of tin foil and a clean kitchen towel, and leave to rest for up to 2 hours before carving.
Carve and marvel at this magnificent feast you just made.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Stokes Team! We wish you all a beautiful day with your loved ones.