ROAST TURKEY ON A BED OF ONIONS AND CELERY

Have you ever walked into a home with a turkey roasting in the oven? It’s a feeling that can’t be replicated. Warmth, tenderness, and love saturate every corner of every room, putting you instantly in a holiday mood.

Even though roast turkeys tend to accompany grand events, they’re really quite easy to make. Basting a turkey, pouring its juices over itself, is the only culinary prerequisite you need (and I know you can do that). A freshly roast turkey makes for a luxurious dinner and almost as importantly, for delicious leftover sandwiches to enjoy for days to come.

Roast turkey on a bed of onions and celery:

4 large white onions, cut into thin wedges
15 stalks of celery, sliced into 2 cm wide pieces
1 medium sized turkey, 56kg
1 large orange, quartered
½ cup salt
30 cracks of black pepper
5 cups of water

Step 1: Thaw your turkey and calculate roasting times

Since most people will be purchasing a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, one of the most important steps (that absolutely under any circumstance can’t be rushed) is thawing the turkey. More on that here for thawing options from the experts. Thawing should be done one day before your dinner.

To calculate your turkey’s roasting time, the best rule is 15 minutes per 0.45 kgs. You should aim to have your turkey out of the oven 30 minutes before serving it, so work backwards from there to calculate when it needs to go in the oven..

Step 2: Prepare your turkey

Remove the turkey from the fridge one hour before you plan to start roasting. Remove the turkey from its packaging and discard the giblets which are stored inside the turkey cavity. Rub the turkey skin with a quartered orange. Pat the turkey dry with a kitchen towel and then rub the whole turkey with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius, 30 minutes before roasting.

Line a deep roasting pan with the onion wedges and celery. Lay the turkey on the vegetables breast side up and place the roasting pan in the oven. Add 5 cups of water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Set your timer to 1 hour. You should check on your turkey every hour until the full roasting time has elapsed.

Step 3: Baste your turkey (every hour!)

After the first hour has passed, open the oven door, and with a turkey baster, pull the turkey broth from the bottom of the pan and squeeze it out gently all over the turkey. Repeat this process until the full surface of the turkey has been basted.

Repeat the basting every hour until the turkey is done..

If towards the end of the roasting time, you feel that some parts of the turkey, like the wing tips or breast base, are getting a little too tanned, you can cover that section with aluminum foil.

Step 4: Check for doneness

Using a meat thermometer, pierce the turkey deep into a thigh. Once the thermometer reads 82 degrees Celsius, you’ll know that the turkey is done all the way through. Carefully remove the roasting tray from the oven, and place the turkey on a serving plate or board., Discard the celery and onions, but make sure you reserve the broth for the most delicious Turkey Broth-Stewed Rice. Serve the turkey 30 minutes after allowing it to rest, either whole for a dramatic effect, or pre-carved to make it easier for your guests to grab a piece.

Want to complete your Thanksgiving menu? Below are recipes to a complete meal.