Succulent Roast Turkey with Lemon, Garlic & Herbs

30 minutes prep, 3-4 hours cook

Serves 0

Ingredients

For the stuffing:

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

50g sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

25g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

80g fresh white breadcrumbs

225g pork sausages, skin removed

1 medium free-range egg, beaten

For the turkey:

4.5-5kg turkey, oven-ready

Zest of 2 lemons

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

25g pack each of fresh rosemary and thyme

200g salted butter

6 whole lemons, halved

6 whole garlic heads, halved

For the gravy:

1 tbsp flour

100ml white wine

600ml turkey or chicken stock

Method

Sweat the onion in the oil, until soft but not coloured. Remove from the heat and tip into a separate bowl with the sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, hazelnuts and breadcrumbs and season well. Add the sausage meat and enough beaten egg to bind together and roll the mixture into individual balls.

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/ Gas Mark 6. Wash the turkey and pat dry. In a bowl, mix together the lemon zest, garlic, herbs and butter. Season well. Halve the zested lemons and place in the cavity of the turkey with the remaining herbs. Rub the herb butter over the top of the turkey and place in a large roasting tin.

Cover loosely with foil and cook for about 3 hours until the juices run clear. Baste every 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes to brown the bird and place the lemon and garlic halves around the turkey. Remove the turkey and place on a serving platter with the garlic and lemon. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Put the stuffing into the oven for 15- 20 minutes, while the turkey is resting, until cooked through. To make the gravy, pour away any excess fat from the tin and discard the onion. Put the tin over a medium heat and add the wine. Let the wine bubble for 2 minutes and then sprinkle the flour over. Stir for 3-4 minutes until thickened.

Add the stock and bring to the boil.