Roast turkey leg with potatoes and tarragon
Roast turkey leg with potatoes and tarragon. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin for the Observer
I make no apologies for using the brown meat only. It is infinitely more interesting – not to mention considerably cheaper – than the white. The stuffing, cubes of potato fried and tossed with tarragon and garlic, replaces a traditional forcemeat. The mushroom gravy (see below) is made using the glorious, gooey sediment from the turkey roasting tin, and once made is best when reduced for a good 15 minutes to intensify its flavour. If you can't find chanterelles, any "wild" mushroom will suffice, or indeed a good everyday chestnut mushroom if left to become dark and bosky for a few days in a brown paper bag in the fridge. Ask the butcher, well in advance, to bone a large turkey leg for you, making sure he also removes the long, silvery white sinews too.
- Serves 6
- floury white potatoes 1kg
- smoked garlic 3 cloves
- goose or duck fat 4 tbsp, plus a little for basting
- tarragon 8g
- parsley 10g
- turkey leg 1, boned by the butcher, sinews removed, 1.8kg (boned weight)
Wash the potatoes, then cut them into 1cm thick slices and then into 1cm cubes. Peel and very finely chop the smoked garlic. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6.
Warm the goose or duck fat in a large shallow-sided pan then add some of the potatoes and fry till pale gold. The best results will come from cooking them in 2 or 3 batches, no more than will sit comfortably in a single layer. Turn from time to time to get an even colour, adding a little more goose fat as necessary. As each batch is ready, transfer it to a mixing bowl.
As the last batch of potatoes is removed, scatter the chopped smoked garlic into the fat and let it sizzle for a minute over a moderate heat then add it to the potatoes. Remove the leaves from the stems of tarragon and roughly chop, then do the same with the parsley. Fold the herbs into the potatoes and garlic together with a generous seasoning of salt and ground black pepper.
Cut five pieces of butchers' string approximately 50cm long. Lay the boned turkey leg on a chopping board, skin side down, longest facing you, and open it out flat. Position the strings vertically at regular intervals underneath the meat. You will need these for securing the rolled meat.
Slice a deep pocket in the thickest part of the meat and spread it open. Spoon the potatoes over the turkey, mostly in a thick line towards the centre of the meat. Roll it up into a thick, plump sausage securing it with the string. A helping hand will be useful to hold the edges of the meat together while you tie the string tightly.
Lift the tied turkey into a roasting tin, moisten with a little more goose fat and season the skin with a little salt. Place the turkey in a large roasting tin and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting from time to time. If the skin is browning too rapidly, cover loosely with kitchen foil.
When the turkey is ready, remove the meat to a warm place, covered with foil, to rest. Pour most of the fat from the roasting tin and finish the gravy (see below).
Mushroom gravy
- Serves 6
- chanterelles 100g, or other mushrooms
- banana shallots 4
- fat from the turkey roasting tin 6 tbsp
- plain flour 2 lightly heaped tbsp
- hot chicken or turkey stock 1 litre
Brush any soil from the mushrooms, but wash them only if it appears absolutely necessary. Peel and finely chop the shallots. Warm 4 tbsp of the turkey roasting juices over a moderate heat, stir in the chopped shallot and fry, stirring regularly for 10 minutes or so until the shallots are a soft, translucent gold. Sprinkle the flour over the shallots and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes then stir in the hot stock. Leave the sauce at a sprightly simmer for about 20 minutes until it has reduced to about 500ml. Season with salt and black pepper as you go.
In a separate pan, warm the remaining turkey fat then add the cleaned mushrooms, turning them over lightly in the hot roasting juices, taking care not to break their delicate caps. When the gravy is of a moderately thick consistency, check the seasoning, then add the fried mushrooms and serve with the turkey (see below).
Pigs in pancetta
Pigs in posh blankets. The advantage of using pancetta is the crisp and delicate texture it takes on when wrapped around the sausages. Make lots, they will all vanish, hot or cold.
- Serves 6
- chipolata sausages 600g (about 18)
- pancetta, thinly sliced 150g (about 18 slices)
Wrap each chipolata in a slice of pancetta, twisting the latter along the length of the sausage. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake them for 35-40 minutes at 200c/gas mark 6 till the pancetta is crisp and the sausage thoroughly cooked but juicy within. Serve alongside the turkey.