Roasted turkey breasts with sage and pine nut-stuffed legs
Serves 8-10, depending on the size of the bird
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Your support makes all the difference.By taking off the legs and breasts and cooking them on top of the bones, which will be used to make your gravy, you've almost got a one-pot meal. So simple. The pine nuts in the stuffing add a little bite; I don't like hazelnuts or walnuts in dishes such as this – they're too hard– but these add just the right amount of crunch and a lovely flavour.
1 turkey, breasts and legs removed, legs boned, bones reserved
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 bunch thyme
1 bulb garlic, halved lengthways
1/2tsp table salt
For the stuffing
50g/2oz butter
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2tsp table salt
200g/7oz stale bread, made into crumbs using a food processor
200g/7oz sausage meat
1 free-range medium egg
1 bunch sage, finely chopped
1/2tsp dried marjoram
1/2tsp coarsely ground black pepper
50g/2oz pine nuts, toasted
Preheat your oven to 190C/375F/Gas5. Make the stuffing first. Heat a medium-sized frying pan with the butter, and add the onion, garlic and salt, and cook until soft. Add to the breadcrumbs and mix in all of the other stuffing ingredients.
Now lay the boned legs out on your board; they should be slightly oblong in shape. Place a sausage shape of stuffing into the centre of each piece of rolled-out leg meat. Roll over, so the meat encases the stuffing, and wrap tightly in tinfoil.
For the breasts, season all sides with salt then place the onions, thyme and garlic into a roasting tray. Season the breasts then place on top of the onion mixture. Place the rolled legs alongside the breasts and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
For the gravy, heat a large roasting dish with vegetable oil and, when hot, add the bones and brown well. When you remove the turkey breasts from the oven, cover the breasts with tinfoil to rest, place the stuffed legs back into the oven for 15 minutes and tip all of the onion mix and cooking juices into the pan with the bones, season well and allow to simmer gently. When the stuffed legs are ready, strain the gravy and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Carve the turkey breasts and slice the leg-meat "sausage" into thick slices. Serve with roast vegetables, dauphinoise potatoes and Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and bacon.
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