Roast Turkey

A lot of people’s opinion of turkey is that is can be ‘a bit dry’.  This is mainly because, to cook a whole turkey, so that the legs are cooked through, takes a long time, meaning the breast is normally overcooked and dries out.  I think the best way to cook a turkey for Christmas is to break it down and separate the legs and the crown (breasts), which can then be boned and rolled. All this can be done by your butcher if you don’t want to do it yourself.

Method

1. The day before you need to cook the turkey, boil the water with the salt and pickling spice and allow to cool.  Add all of the turkey and leave in the fridge overnight.
2. On the day drain the water from the turkey and pat dry with a cloth.
3. Rub the breast with butter, rosemary and thyme and wrap in parchment paper and then tin foil.
4. Place into a tray with the open fold of the tin foil on top. This will ensure the juices and the butter stay in with the turkey.
5. Cook at 150ºC for 2 hours 30 minutes.
6. At this point your turkey crown should be cooked, but please ensure that the temperature has reached at least 75°C
7. Being careful, remove the paper and the tin foil, keeping the juice for the gravy
8. (If using the juice for the gravy put into the freezer and allow to cool down. Then separate the butter from the juices and add the juice to the gravy)
9. Place the legs into the duck fat so that they are at least three quarters covered.  Cook at 150C for   two hours
10. At this point your turkey legs should be cooked, but please ensure that the temperature has reached at least 75°C
11. (This stage can be done in the morning with the legs being left in the oil until needed)
12. Remove from the oil and pat dry and leave to one side.
13. Increase the oven temperature to 200 ºC
14. Put the legs and breast onto one tray and cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown, rest for 20 minutes and serve
15. You can also add stuffing to the recipe and just add 30 minutes to the cooking time.