Roast turkey with citrus butter, pistachio stuffing & cranberry gravy

Serves eight

  • 1 x 5kg (10lb) turkey, cleaned, giblets removed and brought to room temperature
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 sprigs rosemary, plus extra to garnish
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

    • For the pistachio stuffing:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 70g unsalted butter
  • 3 shallots, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp chopped thyme
  • 100g pistachios, finely chopped
  • 80g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 25g finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

    • For the citrus butter:

  • 50g salted butter, softened
  • 2 clementines, zested, then halved for the cavity
  • 1 lemon, zested, then halved for the cavity
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tbsp each chopped parsley and thyme

    • For the gravy:

  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 150ml white wine
  • 300ml fresh chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp cranberry jelly

    • 1 Begin by making the stuffing. Heat the oil and butter in a pan, then add the shallots and cook for five minutes. Stir through the garlic and thyme and fry for another minute. Transfer to a bowl, fold through the pistachios, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice. Leave to cool a little, then add the parsley and enough egg to bind. Season well and mix together with your hands. Set aside.

    2 For the citrus butter, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Season well. Set aside.

    3 Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/190°C/fan 170°C. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin at the neck end of the turkey, being careful to keep it intact. Push the citrus butter under the skin and spread it evenly over the breast.

    4 Fill the neck pocket with the stuffing, packing it in tightly. If you can’t fit it all in, roll the remainder into balls and add to the tin for the final 45 minutes of cooking. Tuck the skin under and secure it with a cocktail stick. Drizzle the turkey with the oil and season well. Stuff the cavity with the rosemary, plus the leftover clementine and lemon halves from the butter.

    5 Roast the turkey for three hours and 15 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Check the bird regularly; when the skin has turned golden, cover with kitchen foil for the remaining cooking time. Add the citrus halves to the roasting tin for the final 40 minutes.

    6 Remove the cooked turkey from the oven and transfer to a serving plate, tipping it as you lift so the juices run back into the tin. Reserve this for the gravy. Cover with foil and leave to rest for an hour or two.

    7 For the gravy, skim the fat from the roasting tin and discard. Put the tin of juices on the hob over a medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, scraping up the sticky bits from the bottom. Pour in the wine, simmer for one minute, then add the stock and the cranberry jelly. Simmer until reduced; season to taste. Set aside until needed.

    8 When ready to serve, reheat the gravy and serve.

    Carving Tips

    Presentation is paramount so, when it comes to carving, follow these steps from Tesco for even slices:

    1 Using a sharp knife, remove the legs by cutting through the skin that links each to the breast.

    2 Separate the drumstick from the thigh. Feel for the joint with your fingers, then use the point of the knife to cut through it.

    3 Cut the thigh in half to serve or slice the meat parallel to the bone. Leave the drumsticks whole or carve down the length.

    4 When you’re slicing the breast meat, hold your knife at a slight angle and carve diagonally. Arrange the slices on a platter to serve.

    Baked & glazed whole ham

  • 1 whole ham, weighing 6-8kg, pre-soaked
  • 3 tbsp of Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp of demerara sugar
  • 24 cloves

    • 1 Wash the ham to remove excess salt and soak overnight in a large pot.

    2 Preheat the oven to 160°C. Calculate your cooking time, allowing 20 minutes per 454g (1lb) of ham.

    3 Place one long sheet of tinfoil lengthways along a roasting tin and another sheet widthways.

    4 Remove the ham from the soaking water and place in the middle of the tinfoil. Bring together the tin foil in the centre, folding in the edges, but leaving a gap between the tin foil and the ham so there is room for air to circulate underneath during cooking.

    5 Place the roasting tray in the preheated oven and bake for the calculated cooking time minus 30 minutes.

    6 Thirty minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the ham from the oven. Turn the heat up to 200°C. Open the foil and place the ham on a chopping board.

    7 Allow to cool a little before using a sharp knife to remove the brown skin, leaving as much fat as you can behind.

    8 Score the fat with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern and then stud the centre of each diamond with the clove.

    9 Spread the mustard all over and sprinkle the sugar on top.

    10 Remove the tinfoil and reserve the juices from the roasting tin, which can be used for enhancing soups.

    11 Line the roasting tin with parchment paper and place the ham back in it. Return it to the oven for a further 30 minutes or until the surface has a glazed golden crust. Be careful not to let it burn at this stage.

    12 Allow it to rest for 45 minutes to allow the juices to seep back in.

    Herby roast potatoes

    Serves eight

  • 2kg floury potatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
  • 5 tbsp goose or duck fat
  • 1½ tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary and thyme leaves
  • 1½ tbsp sea salt

    • 1 Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200°C/ fan 180°C.

    2 Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for five minutes. Drain well, then return to the pan over a low heat to dry. With the lid on, shake to rough up the potato edges. Set aside.

    3 Melt the fat in a large roasting tin in the oven for two minutes. Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Roast for 50 minutes, until golden.

    4 Meanwhile, crush the rosemary and thyme leaves with the salt using a pestle and mortar. To serve, scatter a little of the herb salt over the roast potatoes.

    Pan-fried sprouts with toasted pine nuts

    Serves eight

  • 600g Brussels sprouts
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts
  • 40g salted butter
  • 1 lemon, zested

    • 1 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the sprouts, bring back to the boil and cook for three minutes. Drain, then plunge them into cold water to halt the cooking process.

    2 Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a large frying pan, until golden. Remove and set aside.

    3 Melt the butter in the frying pan. Add the sprouts and cook for two to three minutes, until tender. Toss with the pine nuts and lemon zest.

    Roasted maple & cumin roots

    Serves eight

  • 300g each of carrots, parsnips, beetroot and celeriac
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1½ tsp cumin seeds
  • Few sprigs thyme, leaves picked
  • 1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

    • 1 Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200°C/ fan 180°C. Slice the carrots and parsnips lengthways in half (or quarter, if large). Chop the beetroot and celeriac into evenly sized chunks or wedges. Arrange in a roasting tin.

    2 Drizzle the vegetables with the oil and scatter over the cumin and thyme. Season well and toss to coat. Arrange the garlic halves in the tin, cut-sides up. Roast for 35 minutes, turning occasionally, until seasoned.

    3 Meanwhile, in a jug, mix the maple syrup with the mustard. Remove the roots from the oven and drizzle over the maple mixture. Toss to coat, then return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden.

    Braised red cabbage with cranberries, red onion & ginger

    Serves eight

  • 1 medium red cabbage, shredded
  • 2 large Bramley apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  • 2 large red onions, sliced
  • 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp Muscovado sugar
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ nutmeg, grated
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 40g butter, cubed
  • 75g dried cranberries

    • 1 Heat the oven to gas mark 2/150°C/300°F.

    2 Put all the ingredients, except the cranberries, in an ovenproof casserole with a lid.

    3 Put on a gentle heat, season, stir well then cook for 10 minutes until the butter has melted and everything is well mixed.

    4 Cover, transfer to the oven and cook for one hour.

    5 Add the cranberries and cook for a further 30 minutes or so until completely tender.

    Cranberry & sloe gin sauce

    Serves eight

  • 2 clementines, zested and juiced
  • 2 tbsp marmalade

    • 50g caster sugar

  • 3 tbsp Tesco finest Sloe Gin
  • 400g cranberries

    • 1 Heat the clementine zest, juice, marmalade, sugar and gin in a pan over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

    2 Add the cranberries and simmer for eight to 10 minutes, until the fruit softens and the sauce has thickened. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. Chill until ready to serve.

    From cocktails to canapés and from dinners to desserts, find more Christmas recipes from Irish Country Living's food magazine online every weekend in December.