Easy smoked turkey crown

Whether it’s chestnuts roasting on an open fire or the cured salmon that’s synonymous with canapés and breakfast at this time of year, ‘smoke’ is a key Christmas flavour that’s forgotten about in the main meal. We’ve added it here by smoking the crown, but if you want to skip that part, this recipe will still give you an easy, succulent roast turkey crown.

SERVES 4-6 PREP 10 mins COOK 1 hr 30 mins EASY

1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tsp dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme or oregano 50g soft butter 2kg turkey crown, on the bone You will need (optional, if smoking) a handful of wood chips (applewood are delicious)

1 Up to two days before, mix the paprika, dried herbs and lots of ground pepper with 1 tbsp flaky sea salt. Use half the herby salt to season the turkey crown all over, then cover and mix the other half with the butter and chill.

2 To cook, heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Smear the butter all over the crown, working it under the skin. Sit the crown on a rack in a large roasting tin, skin-side up, and roast for 1 hr 30 mins, basting with the buttery juices every 30 mins until the skin is crisp and the turkey is cooked all the way through.

3 Remove the turkey from the oven and set aside. Use a small sheet of foil to make an open package of the wood chips, place the package in a dry frying pan and heat until smoking, then put in the roasting tin (see picture below). Cover everything in a large tent of foil to trap the smoke and leave the turkey to rest for 20 mins before unwrapping and carving. Save the juices from the tin to make a smoky gravy (see p42 for our gravy recipe, and add the juices to it at the end).

GOOD TO KNOW gluten free

PER SERVING 327 kcals • fat 18g • saturates 7g • carbs none • sugars none • fibre 0.5g • protein 41g • salt 2.8g