Christmas turkey dinner 2018

Recipes, Cooking tips and maybe some 'Home Made' secrets !
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lancashire lass
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Christmas turkey dinner 2018

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Just over 2 years ago the door on the built in oven finally fell apart beyond repair (long story) but I can't afford a new oven - not normally a problem year round as I regularly used a work top combi oven instead as it is cheaper to run but it's way too small even for a small turkey roast so last year I bought a £19 halogen oven from Maplin just before it went out of business. Perhaps testing it out on the Christmas dinner for the first time was not the best idea - the traditional bacon wrap over the breast and sausage balls were a disaster and the whole thing became a rescue than a triumph and lunch was finally served at 3.30pm. After buying a cook book and successfully testing it out on roast chicken dinners a few times during the year, it was with apprehension when it was time for the Christmas dinner ...

The trick seems to be in the timetable and preparation so - the potatoes were chopped and part cooked in the microwave then popped into a dry pan with lid and put on top of the combi oven to keep warm while the home made apple & onion sausage balls were cooked in a cake tin in the combi oven. As there are very few work tops in my small kitchen, a board had to be placed on top of the hob for somewhere to put the halogen oven - the turkey went breast down and the timer set for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, frozen peas and Brussel sprouts were put together in a saucepan and hot water tossed in, lid on and put on top of the combi oven (my normal plate warmer ...) The rest of the hot water was used to make the sage (and added finely diced) onion stuffing and when ready, put into a buttered dish with foil over. When the sausage balls were done, they were put on top of the oven while the stuffing went in. Time to turn the turkey on to its back and cooking bacon put on the breast and legs ... except the bacon was more like thick chunks of gammon which I was not expecting ... and the timer set for another 40 minutes. Water drained from the pea & sprout pan and more hot water added but just enough to cover and again left on top of the oven.

When the timer pinged, the crispy bacon chunks were removed (a couple went in the pea & sprout pan and the rest in a bowl for later) and the turkey cooked for a further 15 minutes. Meanwhile the deep fat fryer was turned on and the bottle of wine was opened for a little Dutch courage - was this to be another disaster? Finally, the turkey was ready and looking magnificent and put on a plate to rest and the board removed from the hob. Some juices was spooned out of the halogen bowl and added to the pea & sprout pan before it was heated up on the hob. First some frozen parsnip was popped in the deep fat fryer and when cooked removed and drained on paper, in went the part cooked potato. Gravy granules went in the pea & sprout pan to thicken and finally it was time to serve dinner.

Not the most conventionally cooked Christmas lunch but it turned out really well - the turkey breast was really moist, the skin crispy. The peas & sprouts were lifted out with a slotted spoon and the gravy (from the water flavoured with the veg, bacon & turkey juices) poured over the dinner. Finally a big dollop of cranberry jelly and everything washed down with the rest of the wine.

And the verdict? One of the best Christmas dinners I've ever cooked )t' and I would highly recommend using an halogen oven to roast the turkey. I had no idea the cheap cooking bacon would be chunks of gammon until I opened the packet but I think were better than the usual bacon wrap - and also perfectly cooked (I didn't serve with the dinner but some ended up in the turkey / sausage meat / stuffing sandwich salad supper later) Microwaving the potato and leaving them part cooked on top of the combi oven with the lid on kept them moist and continued to cook so they quickly crisped up in the deep fat fryer. As for the pea & sprouts together - okay, that's just me being lazy but when it's dinner for only one makes sense and adding the juices and the bacon to the water gave the gravy that Christmas taste )x6(
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Mo
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Re: Christmas turkey dinner 2018

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lancashire lass wrote:... when it's dinner for only one ....(

So how far into feb will that turkey last?

I'm at my traditional Boxing Day activity, although I didn't cook Christmas dinner. Was invited to daughter & SIL with the other grandps - but they were going to throw out the goose & duck carcass, so I brought them home. A big casserole of meat picked off the goose before boiling bines & giblets, the picking more meat off for me and cat. Still got to deal with duck. Tonight it will be the usual Boxing Day casserole.
Maybe I'll get some of that ready rolled GF pastrymentioned by Hedgehugger and make everyone a Christmas pie in a few days time.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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lancashire lass
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Re: Christmas turkey dinner 2018

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Mo wrote:
lancashire lass wrote:... when it's dinner for only one ....(

So how far into feb will that turkey last?


>coc< ... just out of interest though I don't know why I have to justify it, the turkey was a small bird (3-4 servings) so after tonight's supper, the rest and carcass will go into making a turkey casserole tomorrow and stretched for another day.
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Mo
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Re: Christmas turkey dinner 2018

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No, you don't have to justify it, but I didn't know you could get turkeys that small. I have memories of cooking a turkey for 5 and still having loads in the freezer.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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lancashire lass
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Re: Christmas turkey dinner 2018

Post by lancashire lass »

Mo wrote:I didn't know you could get turkeys that small


Image

small sized turkeys (size of a large chicken) have been sold in supermarkets for years but they soon go so I always get one when the frozen turkeys become available
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