Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Savoury Hazelnut Stuffing

This Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Savoury Hazelnut Stuffing is a perfect holiday recipe!  A delicious tender turkey with fresh lemon and herb flavours!  I partnered with Canadian Turkey to bring you this delicious roasted turkey recipe just in time for the holidays!

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Hello friends!  Well here we are and it’s suddenly December 20…it’s officially crunch time!  This is the week where I hustle big time purchasing last minute gifts, cleaning the house in preparation for guests, tackling my grocery list and doing the final meal preparations for the big weekend!  I will not feel stressed.  I will not feel stressed.  I will not feel stressed.

Actually I think I’m more ready than I give myself credit for, as I’m sure you are too!  The one area of Christmas planning that I don’t get too stressed about is Christmas day dinner.  I think that’s because I don’t try to change the menu up each year, and I just stick to our tried and true favourites…turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, turnip puff, broccoli salad and fresh bread.  Comfort food at it’s best!

I’ve shared many of my family’s big holiday recipes over here, but you know what I thought was kind of weird?  I’ve never actually shared a traditional roasted turkey recipe with you!  I’ve shared my Bacon Wrapped Turkey and a favourite recipe for Turkey Brine, but never a roasted turkey recipe.  Well today that changes!  Today I’m sharing my delicious recipe for Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey!  And I’ve also got a great recipe for a Savoury Hazelnut Stuffing.

This recipe for my Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey is really simple!  It has fresh ingredients like lemons and fresh poultry herbs which pair perfectly with turkey.  I don’t like to stuff my turkeys with stuffing, so instead for this recipe I filled the interior of the turkey with chunks of lemon and sprigs of fresh rosemary.  The lemon and rosemary steam the turkey from the inside out while it roasts!  And the herb and butter rub creates a golden, juicy turkey with a gravy that has hints of butter flavour…it’s amazing!  All of it.  Tender turkey with subtle and delicious lemon and herb flavours.  SO good.

When it comes to roasted turkeys, the thing I’ve realized over the years is that they are not hard to make.  They’re really not.  We all hear those stories of Mom getting up at the crack of dawn to get the turkey in the oven and slaving over it all day, but that’s not how it is.  I actually find roasting a turkey quite simple…in fact, I’d even go as far to say it’s the easiest part of Christmas dinner.  It’s the side dishes that get me.

So let’s get to the details of how to make this simple turkey dinner!  For our family get togethers there are usually 8 – 10 of us, and I will roast a 14 pound turkey to feed us.  This is a medium sized turkey that only takes about 3 hours to roast.  A smaller turkey of this size feeds us comfortably, but doesn’t leave us with a tonne of leftovers which I like.  I’m not one of those people that likes to have turkey leftovers for days.  I’m happy if we have one more meal out of it…and usually that’s hot turkey sandwiches with gravy!

We like to eat our Christmas dinner around 5 o’clock, so I will get our turkey into the oven about 1:30 so it can rest while I get the rest of the dinner onto the table.  So for this recipe I would start the turkey preparation about 1 o’clock…I prepare the turkey and pat it dry, put it in the roaster, then put together the butter and herb mix for the rub.  Once that’s done, the rest is easy.

As I mentioned before, I don’t like to stuff my turkey with stuffing while it bakes. Now I know a lot of people like to stuff their turkeys but I’m not one of them.  I find that the stuffing gets too mushy and adding the stuffing actually makes the turkey have to cook a lot longer.  Instead I like to bake my stuffing in a separate dish.  If oven space is an issue for you, you can even make the stuffing a day ahead and just heat it up when you need it.

This Savoury Hazelnut Stuffing is a delicious side dish with all the traditional herb flavours of Christmas dinner.  I’ve also added hazelnuts and apples to this recipe for extra crunch and deliciousness.  But the big question is do you add raisins to your stuffing?!  I do, but I will say that half of my family picks them out, but what is stuffing without raisins?!  😉

Don’t be afraid to make a roasted turkey!  The Canadian Turkey website has a tonne of great information on Whole Bird How To’s like how to choose the right size of turkey to serve, how to prepare and serve a turkey, how to safely thaw a turkey, information on cooking times and temperatures, and even how to carve a turkey.  It’s easy.  I promise.

I hope you enjoy these recipes for Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey, and Savoury Hazelnut Stuffing!  They’re a perfect Christmas dinner combination!  Enjoy.

Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Savoury Hazelnut Stuffing

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• Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 180 minutes
• Total Time: 195 minutes
• Yield: 0 people 1x

Ingredients

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Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey:

• 1 – 12 to 14 lb turkey (thawed)
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary (about a handful with the stems)
• 2 lemons (cut into chunks)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt & fresh ground pepper

Savoury Hazelnut Stuffing:

• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 medium onions (chopped)
• 1 leek (chopped)
• 3/4 cup butter
• 10 cups of cubed sourdough bread (or plain if you prefer)
• 1 1/2 tsp sage
• 1 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 apples peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1 cup chicken broth

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Instructions

Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey:

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
2. Prepare your turkey (rinse it if you like), pat dry and place in a roasting pan.
3. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the chopped lemons and fresh rosemary sprigs.
4. Make sure the skin from the neck of the turkey fully covers the back portion of the turkey, and that the legs and wings are tucked in.
5. In a bowl combine the fresh chopped rosemary, fresh chopped thyme, salt & pepper and the 1/2 cup butter. Mix well.
6. Rub the turkey with the butter and herb mix, making sure to butter all of the turkey (the breast, wings and legs).
7. Place the turkey into the oven and immediately TURN DOWN the heat to 350 degrees.
8. Roast for 35 – 40 minutes per 2 lbs, so a turkey of this size will need to roast for approximately 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
9. The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 – 170 degrees F.
10. When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven, cover it in tin foil and let rest about 15 – 30 minutes, or long enough to get the rest of your dinner together.

Savoury Hazelnut Stuffing:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a deep oven proof dish like an enamel pot, melt the butter over low-medium heat.
3. Add the chopped celery, onions and leek and cook until tender.
4. Add the bread cubes, and mix until the bread is coated in butter.
5. Add salt, pepper, sage, thyme, raisins, apples and hazelnuts. Mix well.
6. If you find that your stuffing is too dry at this point, add some chicken broth until it’s how you want it.  Sometimes I have to add up to one cup.
7. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.
8. After 45 minutes, uncover and bake for 30 more minutes, stirring once or twice.

Notes

If you prefer not to use sour dough bread for your stuffing, any bread of your choice is fine.

For more information on how to make your own roasted turkey, visit the Canadian Turkey Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube channel.

Have a very Merry Christmas!  xo

Disclosure:  I partnered with Canadian Turkey to bring you a delicious roasted turkey recipe just in time for the holidays!  I was compensated for my time, but the recipe, all thoughts and opinions are my own as always!  We really love turkey!