Roast turkey breast and all the trimmings
Using ingredients wisely means you get a luxury Christmas dinner for less with this brilliantly simple and quick roast turkey with trimmings – all for under £5 per head. Frozen turkey breast joints are fantastic value and this one is made special by flavouring it with clementine and thyme and serving with a rich gravy.
See the Recipe Tips for advice on substitutions to make this recipe cheaper and how to cook it using a smaller turkey joint (1.5kg/3lb 5oz is generous for six people and you're likely to have some leftovers).
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
- 1.5kg/3lb 5oz frozen turkey breast joint, thawed (see recipe tips)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 1–2 clementines, satsumas or 1 small orange, thinly sliced
- 15²µ/½´Ç³ú butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the bread sauce
- 400ml/14fl oz milk, ideally full-fat
- ½ medium onion, cut into 4 wedges
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 3–4 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 8–10 cloves
- ¼ tsp salt, plus extra to season
- 25g/1oz butter
- 60g/2¼oz fresh white breadcrumbs
For the gravy
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú plain flour
- 85g/3oz red or white wine (or more stock)
- 400ml/14fl oz chicken stock, made with 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly or cranberry sauce
For the pigs in blankets
- 6 pork sausages, separated
- 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, halved
For the stuffing balls
- 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- ½ medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 pork sausages, separated
- 1 small lemon, finely grated zest only
- 75g/2½oz fresh white breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
To serve
- 500g/1lb 2oz carrots, peeled and cut into batons
- 500g/1lb 2oz small Brussels sprouts, trimmed
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Pour the oil into a sturdy roasting tin and place the turkey joint on top. Season with a little salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Sprinkle with the thyme. Top with the bacon and sliced clementine, satsuma or orange. Dot with the butter and cover tightly with a piece of kitchen foil. Roast for 1 hour.
For the bread sauce, put the milk and onion wedges in a medium saucepan and add the bay leaf, thyme, cloves and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
To make the pigs in blankets, cut the sausages in half lengthways. Take one sausage half and wrap in a piece of bacon. Repeat with the remaining sausage halves and bacon. Place on a greased oven tray large enough for all the stuffing and pigs in blankets. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to cook.
For the stuffing balls, heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan and gently fry the onion for 3–4 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly. Tip into a large bowl.
Squeeze the sausagemeat out of the skins and into the bowl with the cooked onion. Add the lemon zest, breadcrumbs, thyme and plenty of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands and form into 12 small balls. Place on the baking tray with the pigs in blankets.
To finish the bread sauce, strain the milk through a sieve and into a clean saucepan. Add the butter and breadcrumbs. Heat gently for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce is creamy and thickened. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside then warm through just before serving.
Remove the foil from the turkey, increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C/Fan 6 and continue cooking for a further 40 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the turkey is thoroughly cooked through. Add the stuffing balls and pigs in blankets for the last 15 minutes of the turkey cooking time.
Transfer the turkey to a warmed platter. Cover with foil and a tea towel and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Turn the pigs in blankets and stuffing balls and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through.
For the gravy, put the roasting tin on the hob over medium heat and stir in the flour. Add the wine (or extra stock) and cook for 15–20 seconds, stirring constantly.
Gradually add the stock, stirring all the time. Bring the liquid to a simmer, stir in the redcurrant jelly and cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened and glossy. Season to taste, strain carefully (the tin will be extremely hot) through a sieve into a saucepan, add any juices that have released from the turkey as it has rested and keep warm until ready to serve.
Boil the carrots and Brussels sprouts in separate pans of boiling water. Once cooked to your liking, drain and toss with the butter and plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Snip off any trussing string, then garnish the turkey with fresh thyme sprigs. Carve into slices and serve with the hot gravy, bread sauce, pigs in blankets, stuffing balls and vegetables.
Recipe Tips
Make sure the turkey breast is thoroughly defrosted before cooking, this could take up to 2 days in the fridge. This recipe is costed using frozen sausages, which will need to be defrosted too.
For less cooking on Christmas Day, the pigs in blankets and stuffing balls and bread sauce can be prepped a day ahead and stored in the fridge until ready to cook.
The bread sauce can be made a day ahead and then warmed through on the hob or in a microwave just before serving – add an extra splash of milk if necessary and stir well.
To serve 5–6 people without leftovers cook an 800g/1lb 12oz turkey breast joint instead. Reduce the initial cooking time to 30 minutes, then remove the foil and roast for a further 30 minutes, or until cooked through.