Classic Christmas Dinner

A few pouches of Bay’s Kitchen Chicken Gravy

For the turkey :

• 4kg-5kg Free-range whole turkey, neck and giblets removed, defrosted and at room temperature
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Clementines, halved
• Small bunch of thyme
• Small bunch of rosemary

For the braised red cabbage :

• 600g Red cabbage (about half a large cabbage)
• 45g Light brown sugar
• 45g Apple cider vinegar
• 150ml Red wine
• 1 Tsp Pink peppercorns
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• ¼ Tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp Butter

For the roast potatoes :

• 2kg Maris piper potatoes
• 150ml Olive oil or melted goose fat
• 1 Tbsp Gluten-free plain flour
• Flaky salt, to serve

For the roasted carrots :

• 750g Carrots
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Tsp Dried thyme
• 1 Tsp Rosemary
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the crispy brussels sprouts with chestnuts :

• 400g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and any tougher outer leaves removed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 100g Chestnuts
• 1 Tbsp butter
• Juice of ½ a clementine
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Turkey

1. Preheat the oven to 180°, 160°C fan, gas mark 4. Place the turkey in a large roasting tin – if you have a cooling rack that fits within the tray to raise the turkey up, even better. Rub the turkey all over with olive oil, getting into all the nooks and crannies and season well. Place the clementines inside the cavity of the bird, along with the herbs. Now’s a good time for a hand wash.

2. Pour 100ml of cold water into the roasting tin around the turkey. Loosely cover the turkey with foil and place into the centre of the preheated oven. Cook according to instructions – as a guide it’s roughly 40 minutes per kilo and therefore our 4.5kg turkey took about 3 hours.

3. Baste the turkey a couple of times during cooking, spooning the juices from the bottom of the roasting tin all over. Remove the foil for the last 45 minutes of cooking, to allow the turkey to get gloriously golden.

4. The turkey is cooked when the juices run clear and a temperature gauge inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 75°C and above. If you’re in any doubt, place it back in the oven to cook for 15 minutes more, then test again. Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, cover with foil and place a couple of tea towels on top. Leave to rest for 1 hour while you finish cooking everything else.

Braised cabbage

1. To prepare the cabbage, remove the core and cut the half into two. Finely slice the cabbage and then add to a large saucepan, along with the sugar, cider vinegar, red wine, pink peppercorns, cinnamon stick and nutmeg. Place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 1 hour. Remove the lid, stir through the butter and cook for another 20 minutes, or until tender, glossy and most of the liquid has reduced. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Roast potatoes and carrots

1. Peel the potatoes and carrots. Chop the potatoes into quarters, the larger carrots into quarters (lengthways) and any smaller carrots in half. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and when ready, boil the potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander and give them a good shake. Sprinkle with the flour and shake again to distribute.

2. Once the turkey has finished cooking, increase the oven temperature to 200°C, 180°C, gas mark 6. Pour the olive oil or goose fat into a large roasting tray and place the tray in the oven to get hot.

3. When you can see that the oil is glossy, carefully tumble the potatoes into the hot oil or fat – you should be greeted with a big sizzle. Spread the potatoes into an even layer and place in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.

4. Place the carrots on a separate tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with dried herbs and season well. Quickly place the tray below the potatoes in the oven.

5. After 30 minutes turn the potatoes over and place them back in the oven to cook for another 30 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Check on the carrots – if tender on the inside and golden on the outside they’re ready to come out, if not, give them another 10 minutes. When cooked, remove the carrots from the oven and keep warm until ready to serve.

Crispy brussels sprouts with chestnuts

1. While the potatoes and carrots are roasting, make the brussels sprouts. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the sprouts and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until just tender. Drain. Add the oil to a medium frying pan and place over a medium heat. Add in the sprouts and crumble over the chestnuts. Cook for a few minutes until the sprouts start to char at the edges, then add in the butter and a squeeze of clementine juice. Season well.

Serving

1. To heat the gravy, empty the contents into a clean saucepan and place over a medium-low heat. Slowly bring to the boil and once piping hot, pour into a jug. Warm your serving plates and place the cabbage, roast potatoes, carrots and brussel sprouts into serving bowls on the table with any extra FODMAP friendly condiments of choice. Uncover the turkey and carve on a board or present as is for carving at the table. Happy Christmas!