Roasted Turkey with Lemon, Parsley and Garlic

 So today marks the last day of Gordon Ramsay's recipes, then we are moving on to 2 of my other favorite chefs.

I thought this would be a great one with

Thanksgiving right around the corner and maybe

not have such a boring turkey (even though we smoke ours) lol

This recipe is a Roasted Turkey with Lemon,

Parsley and Garlic and it serves 8-10.

What you'll need:

1 free-range turkey (ideally Norfolk Black or Bronze), about 5–5.5kg

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 onions, peeled and halved

1 lemon, halved

1 head of garlic, halved horizontally

6 bay leaves

olive oil, to drizzle

8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

Lemon, parsley and garlic butter:

375g butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp olive oil

finely grated zest and juice of 2 small lemons

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

small bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped

Create:

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Meanwhile,

prepare the herb butter. Put the butter into a large bowl

and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and mix well.

Add the lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic and chopped parsley.

Mix well to combine.

Remove the giblets from the turkey cavity. Season the cavity

well with salt and pepper, then stuff with the onions, lemon,

garlic halves and 2 bay leaves.

With your hands, loosen the skin on the breast from both

ends of the bird so that you will be able to stuff the flavored butter underneath it, making sure you keep the skin intact.

Repeat with the skin on the legs – from the lower side

of the breast feel your way under the skin and out

towards the leg, loosening the gap.

Stuff half the butter mix into the opened spaces under the skin.

From the outside of the skin, gently massage the butter around

the breasts so that the meat is evenly covered.

Finally, insert the rest of the bay leaves

under the skin of the breasts.

Place the bird in a large roasting tray, breast side up.

Spread the rest of the butter all over the skin.

Season well with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a little olive oil.

(If preparing a day ahead, cover the turkey with foil

and refrigerate at this stage.)

Roast the turkey in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes.

Take the tray out of the oven, baste the bird with the pan juices and lay the bacon rashers over the breast to keep it moist.

Baste again. Lower the setting to 180°C/Gas 4 and

cook for about 2 1⁄2 hours (calculating at 30 minutes per kg),

basting occasionally.

To test whether your turkey is cooked, insert a skewer

into the thickest part of the leg and check that the

juices are running clear, rather than pink. As oven temperatures

and turkey shapes and sizes vary, it is crucial to check

your turkey about 30 minutes before the calculated roasting time.

If the juices are pink, roast for another 15 minutes

and check again. Repeat as necessary until the turkey is cooked.

Transfer the turkey to a warmed platter and remove

the parson’s nose, wings and tips of the drumsticks;

reserve these for the gravy. Leave the turkey to rest in

a warm place for at least 45 minutes; make the gravy in

the meantime. Remove the bay leaves from under the skin before carving. Serve the turkey with the piping hot gravy, stuffing and accompaniments.

*Note Gordon doesn't do a lot of our measurements,

google is always your best friend when doing a Ramsay recipe.