Try our butter basted turkey the perfect centre piece for the festive season
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Ingredients
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
5 fresh sage leaves, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
110g butter
1 onion, halved
1 turkey (approx 3.15kg/7lb), giblets removed
225g streaky bacon
Salt & pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Mix the herbs, lemon zest and butter together until well combined and softened. Lay out between two layers of greaseproof paper and bash out to a flat layer. Pop in the freezer for five minutes to firm up.
Put your hands between the breast and skin of the turkey to loosen the skin. Slide your fingers gently over the flesh to create a pocket between the skin and the meat. Pop the onion into the turkey’s cavity.
Take the butter and fit the flat pieces between the skin and breast meat. Smooth over the skin an cover with the streaky bacon. Place in a lined roasting tin, cover loosely with foil and cook for 20 minutes per pound (or 0.5kg) and an extra 20 minutes at the end. Baste every 45 minutes, and recover with foil.
For the last half an hour of the cooking remove the foil and allow to brown. Before you serve, allow your turkey to rest for at least 30 minutes.