Raymond Blanc shows you an easy way to cook a show-stopping roast turkey for your all-important Christmas dinner. 

Ingredients

• 20ml/¾fl oz rapeseed oil

• 1 x 5kg/11lb good-quality free-range turkey, preferably organically reared, wishbone removed (ask your butcher to remove the wings and neck and chop them into 2.5cm/1in pieces to use in the dish)

• 40g/1½oz unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 2 pinches sea salt flakes

• 2 pinches freshly ground white pepper

• 200ml/7fl oz water

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1-2 tsp ground arrowroot (depending on how thick you like your gravy), dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water

• roast potatoes and steamed seasonal vegetables, to serve

• Method

• Remove the turkey from the fridge and bring to room temperature - this will take at least an hour.

• When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 230C/220C fan/Gas 8.

• Heat the rapeseed oil in a large, heavy-based roasting tray on the stove top. Add the chopped turkey wings and neck and fry for 8-10 minutes, turning the pieces over every 2-3 minutes, or until evenly browned all over.

• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, soften the butter with the back of a dessert spoon, then season with the salt and freshly ground white pepper. Using a pastry brush or your hands, smear the seasoned butter all over the turkey. Add any remaining butter to the roasting tray once the chopped wings and neck have browned.

• Place the turkey on top of the wing and neck pieces, then roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

• Remove the turkey from the oven and baste all over with the cooking juices.

• Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/150C fan/Gas 3.

• Pour the water into the roasting tray, then return the turkey to the oven and continue to cook for a further 1 hour, basting the bird with the cooking juices every 20 minutes (do this quickly to prevent the heat escaping from the oven).

• At the end of the cooking time, test that the turkey is cooked through by inserting a skewer or roasting fork into the thickest part of its thigh; if the juices run clear, the meat is cooked. Alternatively, use a meat thermometer; if cooked, the temperature should be 74°C or above. If the turkey is not fully cooked, return it to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until the juices run clear.

• Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer the bird to a large, deep-sided tray, reserving the roasting tray the turkey was cooked in along with the cooking juices. Set the turkey aside to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 1½ hours.

• While the turkey is resting, cook your roast potatoes and vegetable dishes.

• When you’re almost ready to serve the meal, return the roasting tray used to cook the turkey to the stove top. Bring the cooking juices to the boil over a medium heat, scraping up any burned bits from the bottom of the tray using a wooden spoon.

• Collect the juices released by the turkey as it was resting and add them to the gravy. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed.

• Reduce the heat until the gravy is simmering, then stir in the dissolved arrowroot and cook until the gravy has thickened.

• Strain the gravy through a fine sieve into a warmed jug. Keep warm.

• To serve, bring the turkey to the table and carve into slices. Serve with the roast potatoes and vegetables. Pour over the gravy.

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For further turkey recipes take a look at: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/turkey