Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 4 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate
The holiday season has finally arrived. The perfect festive butterfly Turkey dinner with pot-roasted root vegetables, sprout tops, chorizo with chestnuts and cranberry & mulled wine sauce.
Ingredients (Feeds 20):
- One boneless butterflied double turkey breast
- 5L of water
- 500g fine sea salt (Normal commercial salt doesn’t dissolve so you need to use rock salt if possible)
- 200g sugar
- 5 sprigs of rosemary
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- One garlic bulb cut in half
- 50g black peppercorns
- For roasting
- 250g of butter
- 300ml of chicken stock (use a dissolved chicken cube)
- 4 sprigs of thyme
Cooking Instructions:
1.
Add the salt and sugar to the water and bring it to a boil, whisk it until the salt and sugar is dissolved
Add your spices and cool
2.
When your brine is completely cold put your turkey into a tightly fit container and pour over your Brine. Leave it in your fridge covered in the brine for up to 48 hours
Drain off the brine
3.
Pat your turkey dry and discard the brine. When your turkey is dry pull the skin from the turkey at the side pushing your hand underneath to create a pocket, do this on both sides of the butterfly
Cutting your block of butter into quarters and push the four pieces under the breast as well as 2 pieces of thyme on each side
4.
Put into a large baking tray and pour around your turkey stock, preheat your oven at 180°
Place your tray into the oven and cook for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, you will need to probe your turkey in the centre until it is at least 72°. Remove your turkey from the oven and let it rest, you can cook it at least an hour in advance
5.
Remove tin foil and keep it in the oven to reheat for when you want to serve. The skin should be golden and crispy and most of your stock should have been reduced
Vegetable dishes: serve 6 to 8 (both go well with fish or meat)
Ingredients:
- One pack of cooking chorizo (200g)
- 200g roasted and peeled chestnuts
- 1 kg of perpendicular sprout tops or spring greens
Cooking Instructions:
1.
Start by roasting the chestnuts, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put each chestnut flat-side down on a chopping board. Hold the chestnut carefully and, using a sharp knife, cut a long slit or across in the top. Make sure you cut through the shell but not the nut inside. The shell is tough and flexible like skin rather than rock hard like other nut shells, so a small kitchen knife works well
Tip the nuts onto a baking sheet or a roasting tin and arrange them cut-side up and roast for 30 mins. The cuts should open up and the shell will start to peel back
2.
In a separate tray put your chorizo sausage and bake in the oven at 180° for 20 minutes. Cool and then cut into large pieces, preserve the cooking fat
In a large pan bring the water to a rolling boil and add your sprout tops for 1/2 minutes in small batches until they are all cooked
3.
Add your chorizo to a wok with hot oil and add a splash of chicken stock (or water) now add your greens and warm through. Season well and finish with roasted chestnuts
Ingredients (Feeds 20):
- Roasted vegetables (all cut into large chunks)
- 10 large roasting potatoes with the skin on
- 6 large carrots cleaned
- 4 large parsnips scrubbed
- 4 leeks washed
- 1 head of garlic cut through the middle
- Thyme
- Salt and pepper to season
- Chicken stock (from cubes)
Cooking Instructions:
1.
In a large oven tray, lay vegetables flat with no overlaps (except parsnips), you may need 2 trays, season well with salt and pepper and add your garlic and thyme along with a good slug of olive oil
Add just enough chicken stock so the bottom of vegetables are covered and add to a preheated oven at 210 degrees for approximately 20 minutes
2.
Check the vegetables, turn and add parsnips. Cook for another 20 minutes until all stock has dissolved and veg is soft and golden
Ingredients:
- Gravy
- 200g fresh cranberries
- 200g sugar
- 1 bottle mulled wine
- 3 large spoons of turkey gravy granules
Cooking Instructions:
1.
Put your cranberries, sugar and mulled wine into a pan until it has been reduced by half. Now whisk in increments your gravy granules until a nice consistency that coats the back of a spoon. ( if too thick feel free to add a splash of water)
Enjoy!
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