Roasted Turkey Crown with Parma Ham, Sausage, Almond and Fig Loaf

Three fantastic elements to a great Christmas dinner with friends and family.

Published 30th Oct 2015

Three fantastic elements to a great Christmas dinner with friends and family.

Serves 10

Ingredients:------------

1 x 5kg Golden Turkey breast crown - 50g butter (room temperature) Sea salt and black pepper - 10 rashers streaky bacon - Bunch of thyme

Method:-------

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 2. Rub the butter all over the turkey crown and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Lay the rashers of bacon over the crown, covering it completely. Place the crown in a roasting tin with the thyme and place in the centre of the oven. 3. Cook on a high heat for 25 minutes, until the bacon is well cooked. Remove the bacon and baste the crown well with the juices and fat, cover with buttered foil and return to the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and cook for 35 minutes per 1kg. 4. Cook until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer. Remove the foil 30 minutes before the end of cooking. The skin should be brown and crispy. Let the crown rest in a warm place for 30 minutes before carving.

Parma Ham, Sausage, Almond and Fig Loaf-------------------------------------------

Serves 10

Ingredients:------------

12 slices Parma ham, not too thin - 50g butter - 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped - 500g sausage meat - Sea salt and black pepper - 100g unsalted almonds, roughly chopped - 75g dried figs, chopped - 12 sage leaves, chopped - A good handful parsley leaves, chopped - 75g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped - 1 large egg, beaten

Method:-------

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 2. Grease a loaf tin, approximately 22cm x 11cm with a little olive oil. Line the loaf tin with the Parma ham, making sure the slices hang over the edge of the tin. 3. Heat a small frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and fry the onion until soft, taking care not to brown. Remove the onion from the heat and cool slightly. 4. Place the sausage meat in a large bowl and season with sea salt and black pepper. 5. Add the cooked onion, almonds, figs, sage, parsley and chestnuts. Add the egg and mix everything together thoroughly – you may find it easier to do this with your hands. 6. Press the mixture into the lined loaf tine and cover the top with the overhanging Parma ham slices. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the sausage meat is cooked through. 7. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carefully turning the loaf out onto a serving plate and slicing to serve with the turkey.

Roman Gravy---------------

Serves 10

2 tbsp olive oil - 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped - 1 carrot, washed and roughly chopped - 150g chestnut mushrooms, chopped - 2 sticks celery, chopped - A handful chopped parsley - 2 sprigs thyme - A good pinch dried oregano - Sea salt and black pepper - 1 large glass red wine - 1.5 litre turkey or chicken stock - 425g tin chopped tomatoes

Method:-------

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and fry the onion, carrot, mushroom, celery, parsley, thyme and oregano. Season with sea salt and black pepper and cook for 3 minutes, stirring well, until browned. 2. Add the red wine and reduce the liquid by half, then add the stock and tomatoes. 3. Simmer for 1 hour, remove from the heat, cool slightly, then strain the gravy into a clean pan. Press the vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon to release as much of the liquid from the vegetables. 4. Place back on the heat and bring back to a simmer, taste the gravy and season with more sea salt and black pepper if needed and thicken with a little cornflour if required. 5. Serve the golden turkey crown with slices of the fig loaf and other festive accompaniments.