Healthy living
Healthy eating
Get that turkey on the table on time - part 2
With the house full of guests and excited grandchildren, the last thing you want is a panic in the kitchen. Lindsey Bareham finds that planning ahead is crucial
All recipes serve 10-12 with generous leftovers
Sydney Opera House Roast Potatoes
3kg/6lb 8oz King Edward potatoes
4 tbsp goose fat, melted lard or vegetable oil
Peel the potatoes, cut in half lengthways or cut a flat surface so that all the pieces are approximately the same size. Standing them on the flat surface, use a small sharp knife to slice at a slight angle down each potato, cutting three quarters of the way through, at 1cm/1/4ins intervals. Rinse then leave for at least one hour (up to 24) in cold water.
Heat the oven to 450F/230C/gas mark 8. Drain then stand the potatoes on an oiled baking tray, smear with fat and season with salt. Roast, basting once half way through cooking, until fanned and nicely crusty. If necessary, half cook and return to the oven when the turkey is removed, basting for a second time.
Roast Parsnips with Honey Glaze
7 large parsnips, approx 1.750kg/4lb
3 tbsp goose fat or 2 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp runny honey
Trim and peel the parsnips. Cut off the 'point' and quarter the stumpy end to make 5 similar-sized pieces. Have a large pan of boiling salted water at the ready and boil half the parsnips for 4 minutes. Scoop into a colander to drain and cool and repeat with the rest.
Roll the parsnips through the fat on a baking tray. Cover with clingfilm and hold for 24 hours if necessary. Roast at 400F/200C/gas mark 6 for 1 hour, turning half way through until crusty and golden. Just before serving, smear with honey and return to the oven for 10 minutes until glazed and sticky.
Stir-fried Sprouts with Nutmeg750g/1lb 10oz Brussels sprouts
3 whole nutmeg
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Trim and quarter the sprouts lengthways. Use a small, sharp knife to shave the nutmeg into crumbly scraps. Heat the oil in a wok over a very high heat. Add the sprouts, toss a few times then add the nutmeg shavings. Continue stir-frying for 2-3 minutes, no more.
Devils on Horseback
300ml10fl oz weak, warm black tea
2 tbsp Armagnac
500g/1 lb pitted Agen prunes from M&S
150g/6oz roasted marcona almonds
150g/6oz thin and streaky rindless bacon rashers
Mix the tea and Armagnac in a bowl and submerge the prunes. Leave for at least 1 hour, preferably 24. Halve the bacon rashers. Drain the prunes, stuff with an almond and wrap with a piece of bacon. Arrange on a cake rack placed over a baking sheet with the join underneath. Heat the oven to 400F/200C/gas mark 6. Cook for 15 minutes while the turkey is resting until the bacon is crisp.
Cocktail Sausages with Parma Ham
600g/1lb 4oz cocktail sausages
1 tbsp goose fat, lard or vegetable oil
2 x 100g/4oz Parma ham
Heat the oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4. Smear a baking tray with goose fat. Roll the sausages through the fat, roast for 40 minutes, turning half way through, until golden and cooked through. Allow to cool. Working on one slice at a time, cut across the ham to make 4 pieces. Roll the sausages in the ham and arrange, join underneath, next to the Devils. Roast at 400F/200C/gas mark 6 for 15 minutes until the ham is crisp.
Cranberry and Orange Relish500g/1 lb fresh cranberries
100g/4oz caster sugar
1 large navel orange
Place the cranberries in the bowl of a food processor with the sugar. Quarter the orange, remove core and pips (if the pith is very thick, remove orange zest and discard pith), coarsely chop the orange and add to the processor. Blitz in bursts to make a coarse relish not a mush. Transfer to jars and refrigerate for 2 days to ripen.
Cooking tip: Plan ahead at least 7 days in advance
Make and freeze the stuffing
Make and freeze breadcrumbs for bread sauce
Make and chill the cranberry relish
24 hours in advance
Peel, blanch and half cook the parsnips
Prepare the potatoes and soak in cold water
Cook and cool the cocktail sausages
Soak the prunes in Armagnac tea for devils on horseback
While the turkey cooks
Make the giblet stock for gravy
Prepare then chill the seasoned milk for bread sauce
Trim and quarter the sprouts, shave the nutmeg
Wrap the cocktail sausages with Parma ham
Stuff and wrap the devils on horseback
Read more of Lindsey Bareham's recipes: The Fish Store, ISBN 0718148096 and The Prawn Cocktail Years by SH, ISBN 0718149807, both published by Michael Joseph.
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
