🔗 Share this article

At our kitchen, frequently slow-cook drumsticks, since all the preparation is finished in advance. For Christmas, I often employ with turkey drumsticks – this creates a delicious method to eat them. Accompany it with creamy mashed potatoes with cabbage, though fluffy rice, steamed baby potatoes or roast carrots make fine alternatives.

Slow-Cooked Turkey with A Creamy Herb Sauce, and Colcannon

This can easily be scaled up for extra guests – simply require a bigger pot.

Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 2

For the Main Dish:

• Sunflower oil or a mild cooking oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 bone-in turkey legs or drumsticks
• 1 tbsp butter
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 2 shallots, peeled and halved
• 5 slices streaky bacon, chopped
• 8 sage leaves fresh is best
• 70ml white wine a dry variety
• 60-100ml chicken stock
• ½ tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream

For the Potato Side:

• 500g large floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, peeled and cut into chunks.
• 100g unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• ½ savoy cabbage, finely chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• 100ml milk whole or semi-skimmed

Method

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Add a generous splash of neutral oil in a 23cm wide x 7cm high skillet. Pat the turkey legs dry and season, then lay them in the pan and brown, cooking on both sides, until beautifully seared on both sides. Take the turkey out to a plate, then remove the cooking fat.

Melt the butter in the pan, then add the chopped garlic, shallots, diced bacon and sage leaves. Cook on a medium-high heat several minutes, until the onions and bacon begin to brown. Pour in the wine, then lay the turkey legs on top of the aromatic base. Pour in the stock so the turkey legs are covered halfway, then carefully stir in the dijon and creamy element. Seal the pan tightly with foil and roast for one hour, or until the turkey legs can bend in half with ease.

Pro Tip: Meanwhile, place the potato chunks in a pan of boiling water and cook for around 20 minutes, until soft when tested with a skewer.

In another saucepan, warm a portion of the butter, then cook the diced garlic for two minutes. Stir in the shredded savoy and cook on a low heat, tossing now and then, for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Season, then remove from the heat.

Using another small pot, combine the milk and the remaining butter. Drain the cooked potatoes, then mash them in the same pot. Crush the potatoes with the heated dairy mixture until creamy, then incorporate the greens and combine well. Add final salt and pepper, and hold over low heat before serving.

Once the turkey is cooked, plate alongside the colcannon and the cooking liquid from the pan.