Christmas Style
intro
A juicy, herb-crusted roast turkey with glossy cranberry glaze and roasted root veggies, the iconic warm centerpiece of a cozy Christmas feast.
Ingredients
Steps
Make herb butter
In a small bowl, mix 113g softened unsalted butter, 2 tbsp chopped rosemary, 2 tbsp chopped thyme, 30g minced garlic, 1 tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp ground black pepper until fully combined. Set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes to let flavors meld.
Prep turkey and veggies
Pat the 3500g whole turkey completely dry with paper towels, inside and out. Gently lift the skin from the breast and thigh meat, and rub ⅔ of the herb butter directly under the skin, spreading evenly over the meat. Toss 300g carrot chunks, 250g parsnip chunks, 300g quartered onion, and 150g celery chunks with 2 tbsp olive oil, remaining 2 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper, then spread evenly across the bottom of a large stainless steel roasting pan. Place a wire rack over the veggies, and set the turkey breast-side up on the rack.
Sear turkey at high heat
Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Pour 120ml (½ cup) chicken stock into the bottom of the roasting pan to prevent veggies from burning. Roast the uncovered turkey for 30 minutes at 220°C (425°F) to crisp the outer skin and lock in initial juices.
Slow roast until tender
Reduce oven temperature to 175°C (350°F). Brush the remaining ⅓ of the herb butter over the outside of the turkey skin. Continue roasting, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes, for 1 hour 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 70°C (158°F). Add the remaining 120ml chicken stock to the pan if juices evaporate during cooking to prevent burning.
Apply cranberry glaze
Once the turkey reaches 70°C (158°F), brush the entire outer skin evenly with 180g whole-berry cranberry sauce. Return to the oven for the final 15 minutes of roasting, until the glaze is glossy and slightly caramelized, and the thickest part of the thigh registers a safe 75°C (165°F) internal temperature.
Rest turkey before serving
Carefully transfer the roasted turkey to a large wooden cutting board, and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 25 minutes at room temperature to allow juices to redistribute evenly through the meat. Serve sliced alongside the tender roasted root veggies from the pan, with extra cranberry sauce on the side if desired.
Tips
2.Resist the urge to slice the turkey immediately after pulling it from the oven; the full 25-minute rest lets muscle fibers relax and reabsorb juices, so every bite stays moist instead of leaking juice onto the cutting board.
3.If the cranberry glaze starts to darken too quickly during the final 15 minutes of roasting, loosely tent the turkey breast with a small strip of aluminum foil to prevent burning before the meat reaches its safe internal temperature.
OMG, this turkey was the star of our family Christmas dinner this year! The cranberry glaze is a total game changer—sticky, sweet-tart, and it pairs so perfectly with the herby butter under the skin. My kids fought over the crispy bite-sized pieces of skin, and even my super picky mother-in-law asked for the recipe to make for her own New Year’s gathering. 10/10, no notes!
This turned out really tasty overall! I will say, my 15lb turkey took almost 3.5 hours to cook through instead of the listed 2 hours 50 minutes, so I’d definitely recommend relying on a meat thermometer instead of strictly following the cook time if you’ve got a larger bird. The herb rub made my whole house smell like Christmas for hours, though, and the glaze was delicious!
SO good. I was super nervous to try a glazed turkey because I’ve always stuck to a simple savory dry brine for holiday cooks, but the sweet-tart cranberry glaze balanced the rosemary, thyme, and sage rub perfectly. My whole crew raved about it at our early Christmas dinner last weekend, even my cousin who swears he hates any sweet element on meat. Will be making this every holiday from now on.
I’m so excited to make this for our small Christmas! Quick question for anyone who’s made this: has anyone tried adapting this for a bone-in turkey breast instead of a whole turkey? We’re only having 4 people this year since my sister’s family is stuck out of state with a flight cancellation, and I don’t want to be stuck eating leftover turkey for two weeks straight.
Total game changer alert. I had extra herb butter left after rubbing down the turkey, so I tossed chopped carrots, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts in it and roasted them right in the pan under the turkey the whole time. They soaked up all the turkey drippings and little drips of cranberry glaze? Absolutely insane. My roommate said it’s the best meal he’s ever had in our 3 years living together.
Made this for my office holiday potluck last week and people were coming up to my desk for 20 minutes straight asking for the recipe link. The only tiny misstep I had was I didn’t let the glaze simmer long enough so it was a little runnier than I wanted, but it still tasted incredible slathered over every bite. 10/10, will absolutely be making this again for actual Christmas dinner with my family.
My kids loved it! I was so worried the cranberry glaze would be too tart for my picky eaters, but the little bit of orange zest in it balances the cranberry so well, they were dipping every single bite of turkey in extra glaze. Even my 7 year old who swears he ‘hates all turkey except chicken nuggets’ had two full servings. Total win for our Christmas dinner!