Avonmore Buttermilk Roast Turkey Crown
- For the brine: mix all the ingredients together in a turkey bag. Remove the giblets from the turkey and place it into the bag with the buttermilk brine. Securely tie the top of the bag and leave it in the bottom of your fridge for 24-48 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 190C (375F), Gas mark 5.
- To prepare the turkey: Add the butter, olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped thyme, lemon zest and juice to an electric mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment, turn your mixer onto a medium speed for 1-2 minutes until all the ingredients are well combined. . Remove the turkey crown from the brine and drain off any excess liquid, then pat the skin of the turkey dry with absorbent kitchen paper. Place the turkey into a large roasting tray, breast side up. With your hands, loosen the skin on the breast from both ends of the turkey so that you will be able to stuff the flavoured butter underneath it, making sure you keep the skin intact. Stuff 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, lay the streaky bacon overlapping on the breast of the turkey which will help to keep it moist during cooking.
- Place the prepared turkey crown into the preheated oven allowing 20 minutes per 450g (1lb) and an extra 20 minutes cooking time at the end. Baste the turkey with the pan juices from the roasting tray 3-4 times during cooking and baste again when you remove the turkey from the oven at the end of cooking.
- Remove the cooked turkey from the oven and cover with foil if you have not already done so.Leave the turkey to rest for at least 40 minutes before carving.
- To serve, carve the turkey crown into slices and arrange on warm plates & serve with traditional accompaniments.
Ingredients
- 5 kg (10lb) turkey crown
- 300g Avonmore butter (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1tbsp freshly picked & chopped thyme leaves
- 2 packets smoked streaky bacon
For The Buttermilk Brine
- 2 litres Avonmore Buttermilk
- 2 tblsp sea salt
- 2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
- 2 lemons, cut in slices
- 8 -10 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 6 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp freshly chopped sage leaves
Notes:
- You can cover the turkey with foil if it’s browning too quickly during cooking
- To test if the turkey is cooked pierce the thickest part with a long clean metal skewer. If the juices run clear, it’s ready, if they are still a little pink then return it to the oven and continue to cook for a bit longer.
