Spiced and Super-Juicy Roast Turkey (Nigella Lawson) Recipe

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Spiced and Super-Juicy Roast Turkey (Nigella Lawson)
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Ingredients:

  • 10 pints 11 fl oz (6 liters) water
  • 4 1/4 - oz (125 g) table salt
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 tbsp allspice berries
  • 7 oz (200 g) caster sugar
  • 1 (3-inch) piece ginger , cut into 6 slices
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp clear honey
  • handful fresh parsley leaves, optional (only if you've got some parsley hanging around)
  • 1 (9 to 11 1/4-lb) (4 to 5-kg) turkey
  • 2 3/4 oz (75 g) butter
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

  1. For the turkey:
  2. Place the water into your largest cooking pot or bucket/plastic bin and add all the turkey ingredients, stirring to dissolve the salt, sugar, syrup and honey. (Squeeze the juice of the orange quarters into the brine before you chuck in the pieces.)
  3. Untie and remove any string or trussing attached to the turkey, shake it free and add it to the liquid. Add more water if the turkey is not completely submerged. Keep the mixture in a cold place, even outside overnight or for up 1 or 2 days before you cook it, remembering to take it out of its liquid (and wiping it dry with kitchen-towel) a good 40 or 50 minutes before it has to go into the oven. Turkeys - indeed this is the case for all meat - should be at room temperature before being put in the preheated oven. If you're at all concerned - the cold water in the brine will really chill this bird - then just cook the turkey for longer than its actual weight requires.
  4. For the basting glaze:
  5. Place the butter and syrup into a saucepan and cook over a low heat, while stirring, until the ingredients have melted and combined.
  6. Brush the turkey with the glaze before roasting, and baste periodically throughout the roasting time.
  7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  8. Cook the turkey for 30 minutes at this relatively high temperature, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and continue cooking, turning the oven back up to 425 degrees F for the final15 minutes or so if you want to give a browning boost to the skin. For a 9 to 11-pound turkey, allow 2 1/2 to 3-hours in total. But remember that ovens vary enormously, so just check by piercing the flesh between leg and body with a small sharp knife: when the juices run clear, the turkey is cooked.
  9. Just as it's crucial to let the turkey come to room temperature before it goes in to the oven, so it's important to let it stand out of the oven for a good 20 minutes before you actually carve it.
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Nutrition Facts

Per ServingPer 100 g
Amount Per 1 Serving
Calories 689.25 Kcal (2886 kJ)
Calories from fat 253.82 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28.2g 43%
Cholesterol 308.25mg 103%
Sodium 660.69mg 28%
Potassium 1045.64mg 22%
Total Carbs 16.29g 5%
Sugars 14.23g 57%
Dietary Fiber 0.93g 4%
Protein 94.25g 189%
Vitamin C 7.3mg 12%
Iron 4.4mg 25%
Calcium 114.2mg 11%
Amount Per 100 g
Calories 79.08 Kcal (331 kJ)
Calories from fat 29.12 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3.24g 43%
Cholesterol 35.36mg 103%
Sodium 75.8mg 28%
Potassium 119.96mg 22%
Total Carbs 1.87g 5%
Sugars 1.63g 57%
Dietary Fiber 0.11g 4%
Protein 10.81g 189%
Vitamin C 0.8mg 12%
Iron 0.5mg 25%
Calcium 13.1mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Find out how many calories should you eat.

Tastes

  • salty
  • savory
  • bitter
  • sweet
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Recipe Tags

Weightwatchers Points

  • 15.9
    Points
  • 18
    PointsPlus

Good Points

  • saturated fat free,
  • low sodium

Bad Points

  • High in Sodium

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