christmas main course

Stuff your Christmas turkey with shallots and thyme for a flavour-packed main. Pushing pancetta under the skin helps the white meat stay beautifully succulent

Perfect pancetta & roast shallot-stuffed turkey

turkey

pack smoked sliced pancetta or streaky bacon (about 14 rashers)

olive oil

garlic clove

thyme leaves

lemon

butter

shallots

thyme

bay leaves

lemon halves, from the zested lemon

bay leaves and chopped thyme,

Up to two days ahead, season the bird all over with flaky sea salt – inside and out and under the skin. Leave the turkey in the tin, breast-side up, and put in the fridge for up to two days; the longer you salt it, the more succulent it will be. Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time by allowing 40 mins per kg for the first 4kg, then 45 mins for every additional kg. As a guide, a turkey of this size should take 3½-4 hrs plus 30-45 mins resting.

To make the butter, mash the garlic with the thyme, lemon zest and a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar, then beat in the butter until well mixed. Can be prepared up to two days ahead and chilled.

Gently push your fingers under the skin of the turkey, starting from the neck, until you can push your whole hand down the length of the breast – take care not to tear the skin. Spread the butter under the skin so that it covers the breast meat, reserving 1 tbsp butter for the shallots. Lay the pancetta (or bacon) on your work surface in two rectangles of six overlapping slices. Carefully push each rectangle under the skin to cover and protect each breast. This can be done the night before; take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hr before roasting to bring it back to room temperature.

On the day, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the whole shallots into a bowl with the thyme, bay and remaining 1 tbsp butter, then season and toss to coat. Lift the turkey into a roasting tin, massage the olive oil into the skin and season well if you haven’t already seasoned ahead. Tip the shallots into the roasting tin, around the turkey, and stuff the lemon halves into the cavity. Cover the tin loosely with foil and roast for the calculated cooking time.

For the final 30 mins, remove the foil and pour off all of the cooking juices (reserve them for the gravy). Spoon the shallots into the cavity and increase the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roast for the final 30 mins until the turkey is golden and the thigh juices run clear when pierced with a skewer, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads over 70C. Leave the turkey to rest on a warm platter covered with foil – it will stay warm for about 1 hr. If you want to make turkey gravy, pour the fat off the juices and add the gravy to the roasting tin. Bring to the boil, then pour into a gravy jug. To serve, bring the whole turkey to the table, along with the herbs, if using. Carve onto a hot platter with a little of the hot gravy poured over. Any leftover meat can be frozen in the gravy, or used in leftovers.

Treat yourself to this recipe on Christmas Day and you'll be hankering after turkey all year round! The white wine makes the meat incredibly juicy but also lends a subtle acidity to balance all those fragrant herbs, which are inspired by those used in Italian porchetta. A modern classic. Angela Hartnett prepares this recipe for Nick Grimshaw and guest Keira Knightley on episode 15, season 8 of Dish, the Waitrose podcast. It’s served with Angela’s turkey gravy, rosemary-salted roast potatoes, sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta, and roast parsnip & grape salad. Nick starts them off with No.1 Brut Special Reserve Vintage Champagne, then the meal is paired with Castello Colle Massari Montecucco Rosso Riserva. Discover all recipes prepared by Angela Hartnett on the Dish podcast. Dish is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Fennel & citrus roast turkey

free-range turkey (about 5kg)

sea salt flakes

fennel seeds

tsp black peppercorns

g unsalted butter, softened

lemon,

scrubbed,

garlic cloves, crushed

sprig/s rosemary

sprig/s thyme

carrot, halved

celery stick,

onion, halved

500 ml white wine

Rosemary, bay leaves, oranges and pomegranate to decorate (optional)

Step 1

Remove the turkey from the fridge about 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature. Calculate the cooking time at 35 minutes per kg (so 2 hours 55 minutes for a 5kg turkey). Put the bird in a large roasting tin and set aside. In a pestle and mortar or spice grinder, finely grind the salt, fennel seeds and peppercorns; set aside. In a bowl, mash together the butter, citrus zests and garlic; set aside. Preheat the oven to 180˚C, gas mark 4.



Step 2

Carefully push your fingers between the skin and breast meat of the turkey to create 2 pockets, then push in the flavoured butter; smooth it down with your fingers. Sprinkle the fennel salt over the skin of the bird. Put the citrus halves and herbs into the cavity. Put the carrot, celery and onion in the tray; pour in the wine. Cover the tin in a double layer of thick foil, making sure it is well sealed. Roast for the calculated cooking time, minus 20 minutes. After this time, turn the oven up to 200˚C, gas mark 6, remove the foil from the turkey, drizzle the skin with a little olive oil and finish cooking, uncovered.



Step 3

To test if the turkey is cooked, push a skewer or small knife into the thickest part of the thigh; the juices should run clear. If not, return to the oven for 10 minutes before checking again. Repeat until cooked through and no pink meat remains. Transfer the turkey to a warm serving platter, cover with a layer of foil and a few clean tea towels. Rest for 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes before carving. To decorate, surround the turkey with fresh herbs such as rosemary and bay leaves, charred orange halves and jewelled chunks of pomegranate, if liked. 



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Top 2 christmas main course recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas main course recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Perfect pancetta & roast shallot-st...

Fennel & citrus roast turkey

The most viewed christmas main course recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine