Cider Roast Turkey

by BBC Good Food

Succulent, cider-roasted turkey. Serve with tender glazed apples and pear to make the ultimate centrepiece for your Christmas table!

Method

Based on 10 servings, adjust as needed.

Step 1

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Wash and dry the turkey, removing any feathers. Pull out the giblets and the neck, then set aside. Lift up the skin that covers the neck opening, then stuff the stuffing up and under the skin, securing it tightly underneath with a skewer or two cocktail sticks. Weigh the stuffed turkey, then calculate the cooking time, allowing 40 mins per kg (20 mins per lb).

Step 2

Put the leeks and carrots along the bottom of a roasting tin in a single layer – this will make a trivet for the turkey to sit on and add flavour to the gravy. Add the neck to the tin. Sit the turkey on top and coat the breast all over with butter. Pour in 300ml cider, cover with foil, then roast according to your timings. Keep checking the tin – if the vegetables look like they’re burning, add a splash of water or cider. At 30 mins before the end of cooking, remove the foil and season generously.

Step 3

To test that the turkey is ready, pierce the thigh through its thickest part; the juices should run clear. Take the turkey out and leave to rest, covered with a clean tea towel. Can leave to rest for up to 1 hr. Now make the gravy. Drain the fat and juices from the tin into a jug, discarding the veg and the neck. Place the tin over a flame, then pour in 300ml cider, scraping up the flavour-filled crusty bits with a wooden spoon. Reduce the cider by half, then strain into a saucepan (this will save you hob space later).

  • Ingredients
  • Based on 10 servings
  • 600ml Chicken Stock 1x Sainsbury's Stock Cubes, Chicken 10x10g
  • 2 tbsp Quince Jelly 1x Sainsbury's Quince Jelly, Taste the Difference 215g
  • 450g Stuffing 1x Sainsbury's Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix 340g
  • 600ml Dry Cider, 300ml for the turkey/300ml for the gravy 1x Sainsbury's Original Dry Cider 4x440ml
  • 2 Leeks, trimmed and halved 2x Sainsbury's Leeks Loose
  • 2 Carrots, halved 2x Sainsbury’s Carrots Loose
  • 50g Butter, softened 1x Sainsbury's British Butter, Unsalted 250g
  • 6kg Turkey, giblets removed and kept 1x Sainsbury's Large Frozen British Whole Basted Turkey 5.3-6.9kg
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