Bacon wrapped roast turkey

We promise this is the year you'll nail the roast turkey. Keep things simple with this 5 step recipe!

Ingredients

Method

Note: Substitute a whole turkey for a crown if you prefer. Adjust cooking times depending on your turkey size.

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Take the turkey out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature, about 20 mins. Calculate the cooking time allowing 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes.
2. Lift the breast skin and rub some of the soften butter onto the meat. Spread the butter over the outside of the turkey making sure that the thighs are particularly well covered. Place the garlic cloves and sage in the cavity. Drape the turkey with the bacon rashers, this will ensure that the turkey meat stays moist and flavoursome as the bacon cooks. Place the turkey on a roasting tray and season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Loosely cover the turkey with aluminium foil, leaving space between the meat and the foil. Secure the foil around the edges of the roasting tin.
4. Cook the turkey based on your time, but remove the foil for the last 20-30 minutes. At this time, increase the temperature of the oven to 200°C and baste frequently with the juices during this last period of cooking.
5. Insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the turkey is cooked through the juices should run clear. If not cook the turkey for longer. Tip the turkey to let the juices run into the tin, transfer to a large plate and cover with foil. Leave the turkey to rest for 10 mins. This allows the turkey juices to rise to the surface, maintaining moisture and making it easier to carve. Remove the bacon, carve and serve with your favourite Christmas sides!

Recipe by McLoughlin Butchers