Name: Cider roast turkey
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 4.5-6kg/10-13lb turkey giblets removed and kept; 450g stuffing; 2 leeks trimmed and halved; 2 carrots halved; 50g butter softened; 300ml dry cider; 300ml dry cider; 600ml chicken stock; 2 tbsp quince or redcurrant jelly

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Cider roast turkey

Cider roast turkey

Jane Hornby

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Serves 8

More effort

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 4 hrs

Approx 4 hrs cooking for a 4.5kg bird

A star rating of 4.9 out of 5.10 ratingsRate

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Succulent, cider-roasted turkey, with tender glazed apples and pear makes the ultimate centrepiece for your Christmas table

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

For the turkey

4.5-6kg/10-13lb turkey

giblets removed and kept
450g stuffing
2 leeks

trimmed and halved
2 carrots

halved
50g butter

softened
300ml dry cider

For the gravy

300ml dry cider
600ml chicken stock
2 tbsp quince or redcurrant jelly

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Nutrition: per serving (with gravy)

kcal704
fat32g
saturates11g
carbs21g
sugars7g
fibre1g
protein82g
salt1.77g

Method

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 the 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 the 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).

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2007

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A star rating of 4.9 out of 5.10 ratings

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