STUFFED TURKEY CROWN

INGREDIENTS

1.5kg boned turkey crown*

25g butter

2 x 90g packs Parma ham

150ml white wine

For the stuffing:

25g butter

200g shallots, roughly chopped

150g mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

75g dried cranberries

50g pine nuts, toasted

75g fresh white breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

75g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped

1 small leek trimmed and cut into long strips

1 tbsp olive oil

450g good quality sausage meat

METHOD

1. To prepare the stuffing, heat the butter in a large non-stick frying pan, add the shallots and gently cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves and cook for another 5 minutes until the liquid has cooked off and the mushrooms are lightly coloured. Allow to cool a little, then add the cranberries, pine nuts and breadcrumbs and season well with black pepper. Divide this mixture into two, placing each half in a separate bowl. 

2. For the vegetarian stuffing, add the egg and chestnuts to one of the bowls and combine well. Quickly blanch the leek and refresh under cold water. Lay on kitchen roll to dry. Divide the stuffing into eight balls and wrap a length of leek around each one. Place in a patty tin, drizzle with a little oil and chill until needed.

3. To prepare the stuffing for the turkey, add the sausage meat to the other bowl and combine well – it’s best to use your hands for this. To stuff the crown, lay the Parma ham on a chopping board that’s been lined with baking parchment so that it’s overlapping – you need to create a rectangle of Parma ham measuring about 20 x 20cm. 

4. Pile the stuffing on top of the Parma ham and set the turkey on top, skin side up. Turn over and shape the joint into a nice long roast with your hands. Secure and hold the joint in place with string. Push some herbs under the string and place on a trivet in a roasting tin. At this point weigh the stuffed roast to calculate cooking time. 

5. To cook the turkey, preheat the oven to 180°C/R5. Pour the wine in the tin, rub the butter over the turkey and season well. Cover with a double layer of foil and roast for 20 minutes per kilo plus 1 hour. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes of roasting to allow the turkey to crisp up and colour. Remove from the tin, place on a warmed platter, cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.