Classic roast turkey

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the oven rack in the lower section of the oven but not the bottom rung unless the oven is very small. Place a cake rack into a large metal roasting dish.

Stuffing

1. Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and bacon for 5 minutes or until softened.
2. Remove from the heat, toss through the breadcrumbs, sundried tomatoes, herbs and grated butter. Season with salt and pepper; cover and set aside to cool.
3. Wash turkey; pat the cavity dry using paper towels.

Cooking the turkey

1. Fill the cavity with the stuffing. Tie the legs together and twist the wings under the body to ensure it keeps a good shape and prevent the wing tips from burning.
2. Weigh the turkey to calculate the cooking time later. Spread a little extra butter on top of the turkey and season with salt and ground black pepper.
3. Place the turkey on the prepared rack and pour 1 cup of water into the dish below.
4. Roast in the preheated oven allowing 30 minutes per 500 grams. A 4kg turkey with 400 grams stuffing will take 4½ hours to cook. Cover with foil if the turkey begins to brown too much.
5. Remove from the oven, cover and rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Making gravy

1. Drain cooking juices from the roasting pan. Skim off the fat and return 3 tablespoons fat to the roasting pan (or use butter). Place over a low heat.
2. Add 2 tablespoons flour to the pan and stir for 1-2 minutes until frothy.
3. Make the cooking juices up to 1½ cups with chicken stock and gradually stir into the pan. Bring to the boil then lower to a simmer for 5 minutes. Stir the sediment from the bottom of the pan into the gravy. Season with salt and pepper if wished.