Roast turkey with lemon and garlic

• turkey, ready for roasting↗5-6kg kg

  neck and giblets removed and saved for sauce

• onion↗1

  cut in half

• lemon↗1

  cut in half (save zest for butter)

• garlic↗whole bulb of

  whole bulb, cut in half

• sea salt↗2 tbsp tbsp
• thyme leaves↗1 tbsp tbsp
• black peppercorns1 tsp tsp
• butter↗100g g
• vegetable stock powder↗4 tbsp tbsp

  (we used Marigold)

• lemon↗1

  zest (from lemon for turkey)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Two days before cooking, prepare a salt mixture by grinding the salt together with thyme leaves and pepper in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and carefully slide your fingers under the skin, starting at the neck, until you can push your hand along the breast. Ensure the skin is not torn.

2. 2

   Rub the bird all over with the salt mixture, inside, outside and under the skin. Leave the turkey in the pan, skin side up, and refrigerate for up to two days – the longer it cures, the juicier the turkey. For the crispiest skin, leave the turkey uncovered to dry, or loosely cover it if desired.

3. 3

   Combine the butter, vegetable stock powder and lemon zest in a small bowl and mix until fully combined. Cover and chill. It can be prepared a few days ahead or frozen, wrapped in film, for up to one month.

4. 4

   Remove the turkey from the refrigerator one to two hours before cooking. Take the butter out of the fridge to soften. Preheat the oven to 180 °C/160 °C convection/gas 4. Calculate cooking time: 40 minutes per kilogram for the first 4 kg, plus 45 minutes for each additional kilogram.

5. 5

   Using your hands, spread the butter under the skin so it covers the entire breast, and work it into the cavity between the thigh and the body, then smooth the skin with your hands. Place the onion, lemon halves and garlic into the cavity.

6. 6

   Cover the pan loosely with foil and roast for the calculated time. Thirty minutes before the end, raise the oven temperature to 200 °C/180 °C convection/gas 6, remove the foil, baste the turkey with its juices and return to the oven. When the turkey is beautifully golden and fully cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest on a warm platter covered with foil for up to one hour. Save the pan juices for making gravy.