Christmas Roast Turkey with Herb and Garlic Butter

Christmas Roast Turkey with Herb and Garlic Butter is one of my favourite recipes to cook a turkey. The herb butter creates a superb additional flavour of the turkey as well as keeping it moist during cooking. This British recipe has been around for as long as I can remember as my gran used to make it. I serve this as the main course for most occasions especially Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. However, the herb butter goes so well with chicken as well, you can use it all year round.

Christmas Roast Turkey with Herb and Garlic Butter

One of the most flavoursome turkey I have ever cooked. Moist, full of flavour and succulent.

4.86 from 207 votes

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Chicken, Christmas, Dairy, Easter, Herbs, Roast, Thanksgiving, Turkey

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 3 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 People

Calories: 906kcal

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Ingredients

 

MetricImperial

For the Turkey

• 6 kg turkey free range
• 2 large onions peel/cut in half
• 1 large lemon cut in half
• 1 bulb garlic cut in half widthways
• 6 leaves bay
• Olive oil
• Salt
• pepper

For the Butter

• 4 cloves garlic peel/mince
• 1 large lemon zest and juiced
• 1 bunch parsley chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 375 g unsalted butter room temperature
• Salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 465F/220C/Gas Mark 7
• Place the room temperature butter into a large mixing bowl and add salt and pepper and olive oil. Mix well using a flexible spatula or your hands.
• Add the juice and zest of the lemon with the parsley and garlic. Mix everything together so the herbs, garlic etc are spread throughout.
• If your turkey has its giblets, remove them from the cavity and keep for later. Add salt and pepper to the cavity along with the garlic bulb, bay leaves, lemon and onions.
• Using the back of a spoon, carefully loosen the skin away from the flesh from the top down over the breasts and to the skin of the legs.
• Split the herb butter into two portions. Take one portion and gently push it under the skin. Once inside, massage the butter using your hands to spread it around under the skin.
• Slide the remaining 4 bay leaves under the skin as well.
• Spread the other half of the herb butter over the outside of the turkey covering as much as possible.
• Transfer the turkey to a large roasting tray with the breasts on top. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Place the turkey into the oven for 15 minutes and then remove. Give the turkey a good basting from the juices in the tray and place the streaky bacon over the crown.
• Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350F/180CGas Mark 4 and put the turkey back into the oven.
• Cook for 30 minutes per kilo basting regularly. (5.5kg turkey will take 2 ½ hours).
• When there is about 15 minutes to go, check the turkey is fully cooked by inserting a skewer or cocktail stick into the thickest part of the leg. If the juices flow out clear, then it is cooked. If slightly red/pink, then return to the oven and try again in 10 minutes.
• Warm a large plate/platter and transfer the cooked turkey to it covering with foil and kitchen towels allowing it to rest.
• Carve once the gravy has been made from the turkey juices and giblets.

Nutrition

Calories: 906kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 93g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 387mg | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 1077mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1698IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 5mg