Sage and onion butter-basted turkey crown
2 HOURS + RESTING | SERVES 6 EASY
A turkey crown is the breast meat of the turkey, left on the bone. The legs and wings have been removed so it cooks much more quickly and is a great choice if your family are all white-meat lovers. This herb butter will keep the meat extra juicy.
turkey breast crown 2-3kg
echalion shallots 2 small, roughly chopped
butter 100g, softened
sage a handful of leaves
onion 1 large, cut into thick slices
carrots 2, halved lengthways
celery 2 sticks, halved
red wine 500ml
port 4 tbsp
strong chicken stock 300ml
plain flour 1 tbsp mashed with 1 tbsp of softened butter
redcurrant jelly 2 tbsp
• Take the turkey crown out of the fridge an hour before you want to start cooking. Weigh the crown and calculate the cooking time at 20 minutes per kg, plus 1 hour (so a 2kg crown will take 1 hour 40 minutes; a 3kg crown will take 2 hours). Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
• To make the herb butter, whizz the shallots, butter, sage and some seasoning in a small food processor. Starting from the fattest end of each breast, start to wiggle your fingers in between the skin and the flesh until you have a large pocket on either side. Push and spread the butter into the pockets then smooth down the skin.
• Scatter the vegetables on the bottom of a roasting tin and drizzle with a little oil. Season and toss. Sit the crown on top, then roast for your calculated time until the skin is golden and the meat is cooked through (to check, pierce the thickest part of the breast with a skewer – the juices should run clear). Take the crown out of the tin onto a large platter and leave to rest, covered with foil, for at least 30 minutes before carving.
• Tip all the vegetables and juices from the roasting tin into a large pan with the red wine, port and stock. Boil until the liquid reduces by 2/3, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.
• Strain the liquid into a jug then pour back in the pan. Bring back to a simmer then add the flour and butter mixture a little at a time and whisk into the liquid. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes until thickened a little, then stir in the redcurrant jelly and simmer, stirring for a couple of minutes until the jelly melts. Serve with the turkey.
PER SERVING 613 KCALS | FAT 23.7G SATURATES 12.2G | CARBS 9.2G | SUGARS 6.4G FIBRE 0.7G | PROTEIN 72G | SALT 1.2G