Roast turkey is always absolutely delicious at Christmas, and it's a dish that is emblematic of the holidays. In this Christmas turkey recipe from Dominic Chapman, the bird is first steamed with aromatics, then roasted until the skin is crisp. The turkey remains beautifully tender, moist and full of flavour, whether you're enjoying it as part of a big family dinner or for leftovers the next day
Method
1.
For the turkey, preheat the oven to 210ºC/Gas mark 7
2.
Season the turkey well inside and out and place the stuffed turkey into a roasting tray, spread butter over the entire bird and cover with pancetta
3.
Arrange the onions, leeks, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme and bay around the turkey. Then pour 1 litre of water into the roasting tray and cover the entire tray with tin foil
4.
Make sure the tin foil is tightly covering the turkey and roasting tray so that the turkey will steam
5.
Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 170ºC/Gas mark 3 and continue cooking for another 2 hours
6.
For the last half hour of cooking remove tin foil from the turkey and peel off the bacon
7.
Turn the oven up to 200ºC/Gas mark 6 and roast until the skin of the turkey is golden brown and crisp. Once roasted remove from the oven and allow to rest for 45 minutes
8.
To serve, carve the turkey and serve with vegetables
Send us feedback on this Christmas turkey recipe