Citrus rosemary roasted turkey recipe

1. Mix together the butter, lemon and orange zest and rosemary, and season.
2. Starting at the neck, use your fingers to gently ease the skin away from the breast to make a pocket between the meat and the skin. Pack the butter mix into the pocket, until the meat is covered.
3. Put the stuffing (refer to Herb sausage stuffing balls with lemon and orange) into the neck end, securing it with skewers pushed through the skin, then put the citrus halves into the cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time based on 40 minutes per kilo plus an extra 20 minutes.
4. Take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before it goes in the oven and place in a large roasting tray. Preheat the oven to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C. Cover the bird with a sheet of tin foil and roast for approximately 3 hours.
5. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking to brown all over. To check if the turkey is cooked through, pierce the thigh with a skewer – the juices should run clear. If they don’t, return the turkey to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes and then check again.
6. When cooked, remove the turkey from the oven and loosely cover with tin foil and a couple of tea towels to keep warm. Set the turkey aside to rest for 30 minutes before you carve.

Cooking tip

You can prepare the turkey to the end of stage 3 up to 1 day in advance and store in the fridge.

See more Christmas recipes

For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.