Roast turkey with herb butter and pan gravy
A show-stopping Christmas roast turkey: herb-buttered for crisp, golden skin with a glossy pan gravy. Feeds 8 with simple make-ahead steps.
This is the turkey that earns you the round of applause at Christmas. A simple dry-brine and herb butter tucked under the skin give deeply seasoned, extra-juicy meat with gloriously crisp breast skin.
Make the herb butter ahead and dry-brine overnight to relax — most of the work is waiting, which is the dream when the rest of the dinner needs attention. The pan gravy is made from the roasting juices and a quick giblet stock for proper depth.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 kg whole turkey — about 4.5 kg, neck and giblets included
- giblets and neck — from the turkey
- 40 g sea salt
- 10 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 200 g unsalted butter — softened
- 30 ml fresh thyme — leaves, roughly chopped
- 30 ml fresh rosemary — finely chopped
- 8 fresh sage — leaves
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 1 lemon — zest and halved
- 30 ml olive oil
- 2 brown onion — one for cavity, one for stock
- 3 carrots — roughly chopped
- 3 celery sticks — roughly chopped
- 1 l cold water — for giblet stock
- 15 ml plain flour — to thicken gravy
- 150 ml dry white wine — optional, for deglazing
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped to finish
Equipment
- roasting tin with rack
- meat thermometer
- kitchen string (trussing twine)
- fine sieve or chinois
- basting spoon
Instructions
Make the herb butter: in a bowl beat the unsalted butter with the fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, crushed garlic cloves, lemon zest and half the black pepper until smooth.
Dry-brine the turkey: pat the whole turkey dry with kitchen paper, then rub the sea salt all over the skin and inside the cavity. Place the turkey on a tray, uncovered, in the fridge for 12 hours.
Remove the turkey from the fridge 30 minutes before you intend to roast so it loses some chill (leave covered loosely with kitchen paper).
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional. Roughly chop the carrots, celery sticks and the remaining brown onion for the roasting bed.
Stuff the turkey cavity with one halved brown onion, the halved lemon and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and fresh rosemary. Tuck the neck into the cavity if it fits.
Loosen the skin over the breast carefully with your fingers and use them to push most of the herb butter under the skin; spread any remaining butter over the outside of the skin. Sprinkle a little black pepper over the surface. If the skin tears, press it back and continue; tie the legs with kitchen string.
Set the chopped carrots, celery sticks and remaining brown onion in the roasting tin as a bed, place the turkey on a roasting rack over the veg, drizzle with olive oil and season with a little extra black pepper. Put the tin in the preheated oven and roast for about 3 hours (180 minutes). Baste with the pan juices every 45 minutes.
While the turkey roasts, make giblet stock: put the giblets and neck in a saucepan with the remaining chopped brown onion, one carrot and one celery stick, cover with cold water and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Strain and keep the stock.
When the thermometer reads 75°C in the thickest part of the thigh and the juices run clear, remove the turkey from the oven. Transfer to a board, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes.
Make the gravy: pour off most of the fat from the roasting tin, place the tin on the hob over low heat, deglaze with the dry white wine if using, then whisk in the plain flour. Gradually add the strained giblet stock and simmer for 8–10 minutes until glossy and thickened. Taste and season with sea salt and the remaining black pepper; finish with a knob of unsalted butter if liked.
Carve the rested turkey and serve with the pan gravy and a scattering of roughly chopped fresh parsley.
Tips
- Dry-brine on an uncovered tray so the skin dries — that’s the secret to crispness.
- Loosen the skin with your fingers, not a knife, to avoid tearing it when pushing in the butter.
- Use a probe or instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh—75°C is the safe target.
- Make the herb butter the day before and keep chilled; softer butter is easier to push under the skin but firmer butter stays put during roasting.
- Leftovers: carve all meat from the bones and refrigerate in a shallow container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Substitutions
unsalted butter → olive oil, same quantity (200 g olive oil not recommended; use 2–3 tbsp to rub the skin)
Noticeably differentdry white wine → extra giblet stock, 150 ml
Stays closeplain flour → cornflour, 1 tsp dissolved in a little cold water (use to thicken at the end)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 670
- Calories
- 70 g
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
How do I tell when the turkey is cooked?
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; it should read 75°C. The juices should run clear and the leg should move loosely at the joint.
Can I stuff the turkey?
You can add aromatics to the cavity (onion, lemon, herbs) but avoid tightly stuffing with bread-based stuffing — it increases cooking time and food-safety risk.
Can I roast a larger or smaller bird?
Yes. Adjust roasting time proportionally (use a thermometer as your guide). Aim for roughly 35–40 minutes per kg as a starting point, but always rely on internal temperature.
Can I make the gravy without wine?
Yes — replace the wine with an equal volume of the strained giblet stock or water; the gravy will still be delicious.
Community Photos
No photos yet
Be the first to share your creation!
