Super-succulent roast turkey with lightly mulled gravy
- Barney Desmazery
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Serves 6 - 8
More effort
Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
plus 12-48 hrs dry-curing and resting
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Bring together everything we’ve learned from cooking the GF Christmas turkey over the years in this ultimate roast turkey served with a lightly mulled gravy
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Ingredients
Nutrition
-
5-6kg oven-ready turkey
neck and giblets reserved
-
1 large or 2 small onions
roughly chopped
-
a few thyme sprigs
plus extra to serve (optional)
-
2 large or 3 small carrots
roughly chopped
-
2 bay leaves
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100g unsalted butter
softened
For the spiced salt cure
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½ star anise
-
2 cloves
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2 allspice berries
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2 tsp black peppercorns
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pinch of ground nutmeg
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35g sea salt flakes
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3 garlic cloves
roughly chopped
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small handful of thyme
leaves picked
-
4 dried bay leaves
finely crumbled
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1 clementine
or small orange, zested
For the gravy
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2 tbsp plain flour
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150ml red wine
-
750ml chicken stock
made with 2 stock cubes or pots
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1 tsp redcurrant jelly
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Nutrition: Per serving (8)
- kcal729
- fat33g
- saturates14g
- carbs9g
- sugars4g
- fibre2g
- protein94g
- salt5.41g
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Method
-
step 1
At least a few hours (or up to 48 hrs) before cooking, make the salt cure. Toast the whole spices and peppercorns in a dry frying pan for 1-2 mins until fragrant, then crush to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar or mini chopper. Add the nutmeg, sea salt, garlic, thyme, bay and clementine zest, and pound or blitz into a damp, fragrant salt mixture.
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step 2
Pat the turkey dry using kitchen paper. Carefully loosen the skin over the breasts and tops of the thighs, being careful not to tear it – a rubber spatula makes this easier. Rub the salt cure all over the turkey, including underneath the skin and inside the cavity. Put breast-side up on a wire rack in a large roasting tin and chill for at least 12 hrs or up to 48 hrs uncovered.
-
step 3
Remove the turkey from the fridge at least 1 hr before cooking, or longer if you can (see tip below). Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Lift the turkey on its rack out of the tin. Chop the reserved turkey neck and giblets. Tip the onions, carrots, neck and giblets into the roasting tin, then sit the turkey on the rack on top.
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step 4
Halve the clementine you zested for the salt cure and stuff this into the turkey cavity along with the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Spread about a third of the softened butter under the skin, massaging it over the breast and thigh meat. Rub most of the remaining butter over the skin. Tie the legs together loosely, if you like.
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step 5
Put the turkey in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roast for 1 hr, then turn the tin around and roast for another 30 mins. After this time, check it using a probe thermometer – it should read at least 75C when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. If it doesn’t, return it to the oven for another 15 mins, then check again.
-
step 6
Leave the turkey to cool on the rack for 10 mins, then transfer to a dish or board that has a groove for collecting juices. Pull the clementine halves and all the herbs out of the cavity using tongs, and set aside. Rest the turkey, uncovered, for at least 20 mins more before carving. It will remain hot for another hour, giving you plenty of time to make the gravy.
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step 7
For the gravy, spoon or pour most of the residual fat from the roasting tin into a jug or bowl, leaving the veg, turkey neck and giblets, and any caramelised juices behind. If the roasting tin is flameproof, put it directly over a medium heat; if not, scrape everything into a large, shallow pan first. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 mins until you have a golden paste.
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step 8
Tip the reserved clementine halves and herbs into the pan and pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the tin as you do to release any browned bits. Bubble for 2-3 mins until the liquid has reduced by about half, then gradually stir in the stock. Simmer for at least 15-20 mins more until you have a rich, lightly thickened gravy, crushing the veg with the back of a spoon as it cooks. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and any turkey resting juices, and simmer for at least 10 mins more. Strain into a clean pan. Taste before seasoning – the turkey juices may already be salty. Reheat gently over a low heat before serving alongside the carved turkey. Use more thyme sprigs to dress the platter, if you like.
Barney's recipe tips
Roasting a turkey crown
To roast a turkey crown instead, follow the recipe as directed, but use about 75g butter and roast for 1 hr before testing. For turkey breast, the temperature should be at least 70C in the thickest part.
Temperature test
When developing this recipe, I left the turkey at room temperature for a couple of hours before roasting – much to my surprise, it was perfectly cooked after just 1 hr 30 mins. Cooking times will vary depending on the size and how long your turkey has been out of the fridge, so check it with a temperature probe after 1 hr 30 mins rather than judging by time alone.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, Christmas 2026
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