How to Prepare Roast Turkey

How to make turkey gravy

train pan drippings. Use a metal spatula to scrape any bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the roasting pan.

Melt butter in a small pot.

Add in flour to make a mixture.

Slowly pour in your pan drippings. If you don’t have enough, you can top it up with chicken stock.

Season with salt and pepper (only if needed)

Add in Worcestershire sauce, herbs or other seasonings to suit your taste.

How to roast turkey

Use a pan without the roasting rack (the garlic head halves create the ‘rack’).

Line your pan with parchment paper or foil to avoid the skin from sticking to the pan.

Fill the turkey's cavity with half garlic cloves, a lemon slice (optional), and herb sprigs to give the turkey flavor from the inside while it cooks.

Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the turkey's back to prevent the legs and wings from spreading out.

You can wrap the tips of the wings with foil during the first half of roasting if the heating source in your oven is near the top, if you have a small oven, or if you want to prevent them from charring.

Spread garlic-herb butter all over and under the skin before roasting to assist the meat to retain all of its juices. To distribute all of those flavors evenly across the bird, melted butter works better.

Over the herbs, garlic, and lemon, arrange the turkey, breast-side down.  The meat will continue to cook both internally and outside as the aromatics are added.

Cover it in garlic-herb butter while it is cooking. This results in stunning golden skin.

Take your time when roasting; rushing the process could result in uneven cooking.

A meat thermometer is essential, to determine the precise cooking time for your turkey.

Stuffing the turkey

A variety of savory ingredients, including breadcrumbs, herbs, fruit, nuts, sausage meat, and onions, are combined with an egg or liquid to create a semi-solid mixture to make stuffing. It is typically cooked with roast meat like chicken, turkey, pork, or lamb and is served as a side dish to the sliced, cooked meat.

Prepare the stuffing separately rather than stuffing it in the cavity, to prevent the beef's juices from soaking into the stuffing instead of the meat.

Stuffing generally adds more cooking time to your turkey which can also dry out the meat.

You may also pour any leftover pan juices on top of the stuffing, to incorporate those flavors into it.

Ingredients

Roast Turkey:

A whole turkey, skin on, fully defrosted, washed (giblets and neck removed)

3 heads of garlic cut in half horizontally divided

3 slices lemon, divided

6 sprigs thyme, divided

6 sprigs rosemary, divided

1/2 cup olive oil divided

Herb Butter:

125 g unsalted butter

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

4 teaspoons minced garlic

Salt

Cracked Pepper

Procedure

Set the oven to 390°F | 200°C for fan-forced ovens or 425°F | 220°C for conventional ovens. Place the oven shelf at the oven's lowest position.

In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the herb butter. Refrigerate half of the herb butter for later use.

Use foil or parchment paper to line a sizable roasting pan. Place 1 slice of lemon, 4 sprigs each of thyme and rosemary, and the 4 garlic halves, cut-side down, on the bottom of the pan.

Dry the turkey completely with paper towels. Place the remaining heads of garlic, lemon slices, herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil within. Finish by squeezing the remaining lemon slices.

Melt the butter and rub it all over the turkey, including under the skin. Season generously all over with salt and pepper. Place turkey on top of the garlic and herbs in the pan breast-side down. Drizzle with the remaining oil.

Roast uncovered for 30 minutes for a small turkey under 6 1/2 kg, or 45 minutes for a larger turkey over 7kg.

Turn turkey over (breast-side up) with a pair of tongs and baste with pan juices.

Spread half of the reserved herb butter over the top of your turkey with a spoon or brush, be careful, the turkey will be hot and the butter will melt nicely over the skin. Pour any remaining juices over the turkey.

Reduce heat to 300°F (150°C) or 325°F (165°C) for normal ovens (fan-forced). Roast uncovered for an hour.

Roast the turkey for 30 minutes after generously brushing it with the remaining butter. Depending on the size of your turkey, roast for an additional 30 minutes or more after basting yet again. 

Broil/grill in the final 5–10 minutes,  careful enough to avoid burning, until the skin is extra crispy and evenly golden brown.

Cover the turkey with foil and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving and serving.

Serve and enjoy