TURKEY HERBS RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Check the main turkey cavity for the bag of giblets, and if they’re in there, remove and tip them into your roasting tray, discarding the bag. The added flavour they’ll give your gravy will be incredible – trust me.
  2. Peel the onions, wash the carrots and roughly chop with the celery, then add to the tray with the unpeeled garlic cloves.
  3. Halve the clementine and chilli and place in the turkey cavity with most of the herbs – not filling it too full allows hot air to circulate, cooking the bird from the inside out and from the outside in.
  4. Place the stuffing in the neck cavity (click here for my meat stuffing recipe, or you could use any veggie stuffing), then pull the skin back over it and tuck it under the bird. You’ll get a good contrast between the soft, juicy stuffing here inside the turkey, and the crispier stuff you can bake in a dish, as well.
  5. Scrunch and warm the butter in your hands so it’s soft enough to spread all over the bird, getting into all the nooks and crannies. The butter layer serves two purposes – natural basting, plus keeping the seasoning away from the meat until it hits the oven, so the bird stays nice and juicy. The butter will melt off as it cooks, adding to the flavour of the gravy, and you’ll also be able to skim off that tasty fat and save it in a jar in the fridge for delicious cooking another day.
  6. Generously sprinkle the turkey from all sides with sea salt and black pepper, pick over the remaining herb leaves and pat them on to the butter, then finely grate over a nice coating of nutmeg.
  7. Cover the turkey snugly with tin foil and place it on top of the trivet in the tray. You can now either leave it for 1 hour until the bird comes up to room temperature, ready to cook, or pop it into the fridge or another cold place until you need it.
  8. Have a clear down, and your prep is done. Click here for how to cook your bird...