Delia Smith Roast Turkey Recipe with Stuffing

Dry turkey almost always comes down to one of two things: cooking it past the safe minimum out of nervousness, or skipping the rest before carving. Get the timing right and let it rest properly, and turkey is no harder than a large roast chicken — it just takes longer.

Editorial Note: This is our own take on Delia Smith’s classic method for roast turkey, developed independently rather than copied from any single published version. This site is not affiliated with Delia Smith, her publishers, or Delia Online.

This serves 8, with a beef-based stuffing cooked separately in its own tin rather than inside the bird, which cooks more evenly and doesn’t extend the turkey’s roasting time.

Ingredients

For the turkey

• 1 whole turkey, about 5kg oven-ready weight (from a halal-certified source if required)
• 75g butter, softened
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 lemon, halved
• A few sprigs each of fresh thyme and rosemary
• 300ml chicken or turkey stock
• 2 tbsp plain flour

For the stuffing

• 400g beef sausage meat (or beef sausages, skins removed)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 100g fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and pepper

Prepare the Turkey

Take the turkey out of the fridge an hour before cooking so it isn’t going into the oven cold. Pat it dry, season generously inside and out, and rub the butter over the skin and just underneath it at the breast, which helps it brown and keeps the meat moist. Put the onion, lemon and herbs inside the cavity for flavour — this is for aroma, not stuffing, so it doesn’t affect timing.

Roast It

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Cover the turkey loosely with foil and roast for about 20 minutes per kilogram plus 90 minutes — around 3 hours 10 minutes for a 5kg bird — basting every 45 minutes or so. Remove the foil for the last 30 to 40 minutes so the skin browns. It’s done when a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 74°C and the juices run clear.

Make the Stuffing

While the turkey roasts, mix the sausage meat, onion, breadcrumbs, sage and egg together, season, and shape into a log or individual balls. Bake in a separate tray for the final 35 to 40 minutes of the turkey’s cooking time, until browned and cooked through.

Rest and Carve

Move the turkey to a board or platter, cover loosely with foil, and rest for at least 30 minutes before carving — this is what actually keeps it moist, more than anything done in the oven. While it rests, pour the pan juices into a saucepan, whisk in the flour, and gradually add the stock, simmering until thickened, to make the gravy.

Try More Recipes: Roast Chicken Recipe · Classic Yorkshire Pudding

Serve It Like This

The obvious pairing is Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and a well-made gravy, with the stuffing on the side rather than inside the bird.

Worth Knowing

Check the weight before you shop. Cooking time scales directly with weight, so buy first and plan timing from the actual label, not an estimate.

Don’t skip the rest. Carving straight from the oven is the single most common cause of dry turkey, more than anything about the cooking itself.

Leftovers keep well. Refrigerate within two hours of cooking and use within 2 days, or freeze cooked meat for up to 2 months.

Estimated Nutrition (per serving, serves 8, meat and stuffing only)

Nutrition is estimated using standard ingredient data. Actual values will vary depending on exact ingredients and portion sizes used.

Roast Turkey with Stuffing

Recipe by Mary Randolph

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A whole roast turkey with buttered, herb-seasoned skin, served with a beef sausage meat stuffing baked separately for even cooking.

Ingredients

• For the Turkey

• 1 whole turkey, about 5kg oven-ready weight (halal-certified if required)

• 75g butter, softened

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 onion, quartered

• 1 lemon, halved

• A few sprigs each fresh thyme and rosemary

• 300ml chicken or turkey stock

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• For the Stuffing

• 400g beef sausage meat (or beef sausages, skins removed)

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 100g fresh breadcrumbs

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage

• 1 egg, beaten

• Salt and pepper

Directions

• Take the turkey out of the fridge an hour before cooking. Pat dry, season generously inside and out, and rub the butter over and just under the skin at the breast. Put the onion, lemon and herbs inside the cavity for flavour.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Cover the turkey loosely with foil and roast for about 20 minutes per kilogram plus 90 minutes (around 3 hours 10 minutes for a 5kg bird), basting every 45 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 30 to 40 minutes to brown the skin. It's done when a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 74°C.
• Mix the sausage meat, onion, breadcrumbs, sage and egg together, season, and shape into a log or individual balls. Bake in a separate tray for the final 35 to 40 minutes of the turkey's cooking time, until browned and cooked through.
• Move the turkey to a board, cover loosely with foil, and rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. While it rests, pour the pan juices into a saucepan, whisk in the flour, then gradually add the stock, simmering until thickened, to make the gravy.

Notes

• Cooking time scales directly with weight: 20 minutes per kilogram, plus 90 minutes.
• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 2 days, or freeze cooked meat for up to 2 months.