Jamie Oliver’s Easy Xmas Turkey

• Prep time 15 minutes | Getting turkey to room temperature 1-2 hours |Cook time 3 hours |Resting time 1-2 hours | Serves 12 people

Equipment:

• Large roasting tray
• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• Tin foil
• Saucepan
• Sieve

• 1 x 6kg turkey, with giblets (preferably free-range) 
• 125g unsalted butter
• 1 orange
• 1 bunch of fresh woody herbs (bay, sage, rosemary)
• 2 onions
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 carrots
• 200g pre-made stuffing of your choice
• Salt & pepper

Gravy ingredients:

• Trivet left over from cooking your turkey
• 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
• 1.5 litres organic chicken stock
• Optional: 1 splash or red wine, Italian dessert wine, sherry or port
• Optional: 1 tbsp cranberry or redcurrant jelly

1. If you want to get ahead, do all your prep on Christmas Eve, including making your stuffing. If you don’t have a recipe on hand, you could try Jamie’s versatile festive stuffing; it’s delicious. 
2. Take your turkey out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature 1-2 hours before cooking.
3. Turn your oven onto fan-forced 180°c / conventional 200°
4. Check your turkey for the bag of giblets, and add them to your roasting tray (they will make a delicious gravy later).
5. Warm the butter in your hands, then give your turkey a good massage, making sure to get the butter into all the creases and crevices, under and around the legs and wings. Then season all over from a height.  
6. Halve the orange and place it into the main turkey cavity with the bunch of herbs. Don’t pack it too full, as you want hot air to circulate within. 
7. Use 200g of your pre-made stuffing to fill the neck cavity, again being careful not to ‘overstuff’. Pull the skin back over it and tuck it underneath your turkey. You can bake the remaining stuffing according to your recipe instructions to serve with all the trimmings. 
8. Roughly chop your onions, carrots and celery. There’s no need to peel them. Then add them to your roasting tray with your giblets to make a trivet, sit your buttered, seasoned and stuffed turkey on top and cover with tin foil. 
9. COOK – As a guide, you want to cook a free-range bird for 25-30 minutes per kilo, and a standard turkey for 35-40 minutes per kilo. If you have a 6kg free-range bird, it should take 2 hours and 42 minutes total cooking time. Jamie has found that 27 per kilo for a free-range bird is the sweet spot. 
10. Remove the tin foil about 45 minutes before the end of cooking, so your turkey gets deliciously golden. 
11. How do you know it’s done? Stick a knife into the thickest part of the thigh, and if the juices run clear, your turkey is cooked! If you want to be all professional, use a meat thermometer and if the internal temperature is 65°-70°C, you are good to go. 
12. Use heavy-duty tongs to lift up your bird and let all those flavour-packed juices run into your tray for your gravy. 
13. Transfer your turkey to a serving platter, then cover with two layers of foil and a tea towel. Let it rest for up to two hours while you prepare all your sides. 

Gravy Cooking Instructions:

1. Angle your trivet tray and use a spoon to skim away about 3/4 of the excess fat. 
2. Place the tray on a medium heat on your stove top and stir in the flour, scraping up all the yummy bits in the pan. 
3. Once it’s all mixed in, add your stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, or as long as it takes to get to the consistency you prefer. If fat or foam rises to the surface, just skim off. 
4. Add the optional boozy and or jammy extras if you wish. But it does add flavour and sweetness.
5. When you’ve reached that magical consistency, pour your gravy through a course sieve into a saucepan, pushing everything through with the back of a ladle and keep warm until you are ready to serve. 

RECIPE BY JAMIE OLIVER.