GT's roast turkey with all the trimmings

Serving cherished guests a festive feast feels more approachable when you take the guesswork out of the meal's main event.

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RELINQUISH ANY MEMORIES OF DRY, BLAND TURKEY. BRINING IS THE KEY to ensure a juicy, tender and evenly seasoned poultry centrepiece for your festive table, thanks to some salt-led science. “Brining basically encourages the proteins in the meat to take on water,” says Gourmet Traveller's senior food editor Maxwell Adey, who swears by the method to add flavour, enhance texture and even reduce cooking time. “The most unorthodox element of the recipe, inspired by Heston Blumenthal, is submerging the turkey in fresh water after the brine, which makes the gravy less salty.” We've also provided an alternative method for dry-brining, which saves fridge space when storage is a challenge. “Stuffing isn’t compulsory, but why not?” continues Adey. “This one is very traditional - nutty and delicious - and there’s also a cranberry relish with depth from spices, red wine and port.” If a turkey is too large for your party (or oven), this can be scaled down for a chicken, or two. But tread carefully in downsizing: you might not get to enjoy any leftovers.

Step by step

SERVES 10 // PREP 1 HR 30 MINS // COOK 3 HRS 10 MINS (PLUS BRINING, SOAKING, RESTING)

1 whole turkey (about 4.8-5kg)

4 large onions, half thickly sliced and half cut into wedges

2 carrots, chopped

2 heads of garlic, halved horizontally

500 ml (2 cups) white wine

250 ml (1 cup) verjuice

1 litre chicken stock

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon

1 tbsp lemon juice

Roast potatoes, to serve

BRINE

480 gm sea salt

1 head of garlic, halved horizontally

1 tbsp each coriander seeds, fennel seeds and black peppercorns

1 large bunch each thyme and sage

6 bay leaves

1 each orange and lemon, thinly sliced

SPICED CRANBERRY RELISH

140 ml each ruby port and red wine

80 gm (½ cup) dried cranberries