How to cook a turkey

Recipes

Paul Kelly
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A simple recipe which shows you exactly how to cook a turkey perfectly, ensuring succulent meat and a crisp, golden skin.

Tips

This quantity of turkey will feed six to eight, with leftovers.
Try to find a slow-grown, free-range turkey for the best flavour and the best gravy.
It’s worth investing in a meat thermometer to ensure your turkey is cooked to perfection. They aren’t expensive.
As a rough guide, allow 12 minutes per 450g (1lb) cooking time.
Before cooking, remove the turkey from the fridge and allow it to get to room temperature.
It’s important to allow the turkey to rest once it’s cooked. Technically, this allows the proteins to coagulate and makes carving much easier. It also means you can turn up the oven to roast your potatoes.

Heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
Stuff the herbs and lemon quarters into the turkey’s cavity. Rub the butter over the turkey’s breast and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Put the turkey into a large roasting tin. Cover loosely with a tent of foil then roast for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Remove the foil. Roast the turkey, uncovered, for 1 hour 30 minutes. Your meat thermometer should read 70°C/158°F. Alternatively, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer – the juices should run clear. Baste every 30 minutes with the pan juices.
Remove it from the roasting tin (rubber gloves are handy for this) and allow it to rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour before carving.

Recipe by Jane Curran. Lead image: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

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