Roast Turkey Crown & Confit Legs

I was always put off cooking turkey because it takes so long on the day. This recipe enables you to confit the legs up to 3 days in advance which means a quick 90 minute cook of the crown on the big day. The unctuous confit leg meat will be just as popular as the delicate succulent breast meat.

I start the process 4 days before Christmas. Watch the videos to help through each stage. Duck fat can be bought in 1 kg pack on line and can be reused after the confit process.

To help plan, here is a timetable:

22 December – make dry brine, joint turkey and brine the legs and wings

23 December – confit legs and wings

Christmas Eve – Dry brine crown

Christmas day – melt the legs out of the duck fat and crisp in oven, cook the crown

Make the Dry brine

Start by making the dry bring. In the bowl of a mini processor or in a mortar and pestle, add the sea salt, sugar, thyme leaves, bay leaves, parsley leaves and crushed peppercorns. Pulse a couple of times until well combined. Stir the lemon and orange zest through the salt.

Put half the salt in a bag and store in the fridge for later. Set the other half aside ready for the confit process.

Jointing the turkey

To remove the wishbone (the Y-shaped bone straddling the neck cavity, under the breast), loosen the skin at the cavity, then find the bone with your fingers. Expose it using the tip of a sharp knife, then pull it out carefully. Remove the legs from the crown by cutting the skin between the leg and the body, then twist firmly away from the body to expose the joint.

Cut through the ball and socket joint and remove the leg and thigh completely.

Confit

Sprinkle half the dry brine mixture in a deep non-metallic, flame-proof dish that will fit the legs and wings snuggly. Place the legs and wings skin side down on the salt and sprinkle with the remaining brine, leave overnight in the fridge to draw out the moisture. First thing in the morning, wipe off the salt with a cloth but don’t rinse. Discard the salt from the dish, then return the legs to it.

Preheat the oven 120c Fan. Warm the duck fat gently in a pan, then pour the melted fat over the legs, making sure they’re completely immersed. Cover with baking paper so it touches the oil. Put the dish over a low-medium heat and bring to a simmer, then cook in the oven for about 3½ hours until tender. Leave the legs in the fat to cool, then wrap the dish with cling film. You can keep it like this in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Preparing the crown (Christmas eve)

To prepare the turkey crown, cut away the exposed part of the carcass (the pelvis and backbone) where the legs were attached, to give the turkey crown a neat appearance. Smother the crown with the other half of the dry brine that was reserved and chill in the fridge overnight

Christmas day

In the morning, remove the confit legs from the fridge so the fat softens, Rinse the salt off the turkey crown and pat dry.

For the crown, preheat the oven to 200ºC fan. Rub the crown all over with softened butter and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Scatter the bottom of the roasting tray with onion wedges and herbs. Put the turkey crown on the vegetables in the tray and season with pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove and baste well with its juices. Turn the oven to 140ºC fan and cook for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the breast is pierced with a skewer. Baste regularly with the juices from the tin while the bird cooks. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for up to an hour while you finish confit (an roast your potatoes). Turn the oven up to 220c fan

Ease legs and wings from the fat. Scrape off any excess from the legs, put on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes until crisp. Remove from the oven and shred the meat from the bones to serve or use in a recipe. Strain the duck fat through muslin while still warm, then keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. It’s perfect for roasting potatoes.

To serve Serve the crown in the middle of a large platter surrounded with the confit leg and wing meat. Feel free to place other vegetables on the platter.