recipes

roasted thyme and lemon turkey

• 1 x 3.5kg turkey
• 10 sprigs thyme
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head garlic, halved
• 125g butter, softened and chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil, for brushing
• sea salt flakes
• 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic, extra, crushed

Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Rinse turkey and pat dry. Place thyme, lemon and garlic in the cavity. Place butter, lemon rind and extra garlic in a bowl and mix to combine. Gently loosen skin from the breast meat with your fingers and push butter mixture under. Secure cavity with a skewer and tie legs with kitchen string. Place the turkey on a rack in a baking dish, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pour in stock. Cover with aluminium foil* and roast for 1 hour. Remove foil and roast, basting every 30 minutes, for a further 1 hour 20 minutes or until skin is golden and juices run clear when tested with a skewer. Rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serves 6–8.
* Spray the foil with cooking spray so it doesn’t stick to the skin.
** See the current issue of donna hay magazine for more Christmas recipes.