Planning Your Roast Dinner - Foolproof Turkey by Claudine Boulstridge

Apple, Sage and Lemon Stuffed Rolled Turkey with Gravy and Cranberry Sauce, Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts and Bacon Roasted Parsnips

Like the roast beef, for minimal stress and no last minute panic, work out your timings backwards (I have done these timings for you to eat at 14.00)

Recipe Serves 8

The Plan:

12.15 Make stuffing for turkey

12.45 Boil and drain the parsnips

12.50 Trim, flatten and stuff turkey. Tie up with string and place in the oven

13.00 Prepare Brussel sprouts, boil and drain. Fry bacon and crumble chestnuts and leave in frying pan

13.25 Make cranberry sauce

13.35 Place parsnips in hot oil and roast in the oven

13.50 Check turkey and remove from oven and leave to rest. Heat up gravy

13.55 Heat frying pan with bacon in and add Brussels sprouts. Heat and serve

14.00 Slice turkey and serve with roasted parsnips, cranberry sauce and gravy

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Apple, Sage and Lemon Stuffed Rolled Turkey:

This looks beautiful on the table, with crisp golden skin and a delicious fragrant centre, and doesn’t require carving (just easy slicing). Most butchers and supermarkets will sell crowns (or breasts) from the end of November onwards (and can bone it for you) – they can also be ordered on line.

Most recipes call for minced pork in the stuffing. However to make sure this mince is cooked, often the turkey ends up dry, so I prefer lots of flavour and moisture from herbs, zest and fruit and you don’t need to worry about cooking the centre till its dry!

If you don’t have all these herbs to hand don’t worry – add more of one type and omit others….

Serves 8

4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
50 g butter
5 slices bread
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp finely chopped sage
2 tbsps finely chopped chives
1 ½ tbsps finely chopped thyme
1 ½ tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 ½ tbsp finely chopped rosemary
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 apples, finely grated
1 tbsp Maldon sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2kg boned crown of turkey, legs removed

9 pieces of string, about 30cm each

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Start by making the stuffing: place a large frying pan over a low heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes, until soft. Then turn up the heat and cook until just turning golden. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Break up the bread, put into a food processor and whizz into breadcrumbs. Add the breadcrumbs and butter and stir well over the heat for 2 more minutes, or until the butter has melted and coated the breadcrumbs.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the mustard, herbs, apple and lemon, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

When ready to cook, lay the turkey on a large chopping board, skin side down, and beat with a rolling pin till flattened. (you might want to protect it with a piece of greaseproof paper, to stop bits of meat flying around!)

Place the stuffing in the middle of the turkey and fold over each side (from the long edge across) of the turkey to form a long tube. Place the string under the turkey and tie, placing each knot where the 2 seams of the turkey join (the stuffing may stick out a little but don’t worry too much)

Place on a wire rack, skin side up (stuffing and knots facing down), on a oven tray. Sprinkle the skin of the turkey generously with salt. Roast until golden, or when a skewer is inserted the juices should run clear, about 1 hour. The last 10 minutes of cooking time turn up the oven to 220c if the skin has not gone crisp and golden. This will be when your parsnips need to go in anyway!

Remove from the oven, and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes, wrapped tightly with foil. Transfer to a cutting board, remove the string, and cut crossways into thick slices. Place slices on a warmed platter and serve with the gravy, cranberry sauce, Brussels sprouts and parsnips.

TIPS:

• An alternative stuffing would be to omit the apples and instead add some chestnuts, cranberries and port to the herby breadcrumb mixture. Delicious!
• Roasting time depends on the thickness of your roll but roughly 15 minutes per 450g at 190-200ºC.
• You can stuff and tie the turkey and wrap it in foil and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days, if you like.

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Chicken Gravy:

Again, like with the beef, there are hardly enough juices to make a gravy and it is stressful to try and make it while your turkey is resting as you have to finish off the other accompaniments. Buying (or making) a chicken stock will produce a very tasty gravy. If you have a left over roasted carcass (from your last Sunday lunch) Make the gravy from it and freeze until your next roast.

1 chicken carcass
1-2 carrots
1-2 onions, skin on and quartered
10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
300ml red or white wine
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
Optional: redcurrant jelly

Roast the chicken carcass with the onions for ½ an hour in a hot oven. If you don’t have time you don’t need to roast it, but roasting it will give you a darker and tastier gravy. Transfer it to a large cooking pot, cover with water (probably around about 3 pints) and add the carrots, peppercorns and bay leaves.

Now simmer very gently for about 2 hours. Skim off any scum on the surface and pass through a sieve and discard all the solids. Place the liquid back in the pot, add the red or white wine and salt and reduce until thick, syrupy and concentrated, about ½ an hour.

Season with salt and pepper and thicken with flour. To do this place the flour in a bowl and slowly add a tiny bit of the stock. Mix well till you have a thick paste then add a little more stock. Keep stirring till all the liquid has been poured in. This way you should get no lumps!

If you want to sweeten the mixture add a little redcurrant jelly and melt into the gravy. Leave in the pan and reheat before serving.

TIPS:

• If you buy ready made liquid chicken stock, reduce it till it is the flavour you require and then thicken it with flour as above.
• If you are not using the reduced stock/gravy straightaway place in a tupperware container or tin foil and freeze until needed. However it will last in your fridge for a couple of days.

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Spiced Orange Cranberry Sauce:

This sauce keeps for weeks in the fridge so you can make it well in advance if you like.

Serves 8

500 g fresh or frozen cranberries
250 ml caster sugar
200 ml water
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp orange zest

Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until dissolved and starting to turn thick and syrupy. Add the cranberries and simmer for 5 -10 minutes, stirring well. Once the cranberries are breaking down and the mixture is thickening, remove from the heat, stir in the spices and zest and chill until needed.

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Roast Parsnips:

Like roast potatoes, roast parsnips need to be cooked in hot oil, towards the end of the turkeys cooking time and while the turkey is resting.

Serves 8

5-6 large parsnips
4 tbsp sunflower oil
Maldon Sea Salt

Peel the parsnips, cut each parsnip in half so you get 2 long halves, and then cut each half into 3 long pieces. Boil the parsnips until not quite tender. Leave to cool and drain well in a colander. Keep in a plastic bag in the fridge, if you like, until ready to cook.

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Heat the sunflower oil in a roasting tin until almost smoking then carefully toss the parsnips in the hot oil. Roast the parsnips for 20-30 minutes, or until crisp and golden.

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Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Bacon:

Serves 8

350 g chestnuts (vacuum packed)
700 g Brussels sprouts
250 g cubed lardons/bacon

Trim the ends of the Brussels sprouts and cut each one in half. Place in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and leave to drain until needed. (this can be done a day in advance)

Place the bacon in a large frying pan and gently fry until the fat has melted and they are just going crisp. Remove from the heat, add the chestnuts and leave to one side until ready to serve. When ready to serve, heat up the pan and add the Brussels sprouts. Toss until warm and serve immediately.

by Claudine Boulstridge