Roasted Turkey with Rosemary Lemon Oil and Mushroom Walnut Stuffing

roastturkeyrosemarylemon Simmer fresh rosemary, lemon zest, and garlic in olive oil to brush on this turkey. Serve it with mushroom walnut stuffing and white wine gravy. Flavourful rosemary-lemon oil is great for the turkey. You can also use it to season vegetables before roasting or after steaming, or to dress up a vinaigrette.

1 (12 lb) whole turkey, thawed if frozen, neck and giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
7 wide strips lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
coarse sea salt
black pepper, freshly cracked
4 cups Mushroom and Walnut Stuffing
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6), with rack in lower third position.

Let the turkey sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat oil, rosemary, garlic, and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook until garlic is soft and lemon is slightly shriveled, 1 minute. Remove rosemary-lemon oil from the heat and let cool.

Tuck wing tips underneath the body of the turkey. Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Loosely fill large cavity and neck cavity with stuffing; fold neck skin over opening. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Brush turkey all over with ½ cup rosemary-lemon oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place onion in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan. Set a roasting rack over the onion and place the turkey on top. Roast until turkey is golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Reduce heat to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5), add 1 cup water to the pan, and roast, brushing turkey with remaining rosemary oil every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reads 165°F, 1½-2 hours (add some water if pan becomes dry).

Transfer turkey to a platter or cutting board and loosely tent with foil; let rest for 30 minutes. Reserve pan with drippings for White Wine Gravy. To serve, scoop out the stuffing and carve the turkey.