🔗 Share this article

At our kitchen, we often slow-cook drumsticks, as the entire process is finished beforehand. For the festive season, this method works wonderfully on the holiday bird's legs – this creates a delicious method for serving them. Pair it with creamy mashed potatoes with cabbage, but steamed rice, boiled new potatoes or roast carrots make fine alternatives.

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

The recipe is easily doubled to feed more people – all you need is a larger pan.

Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 2

For the Main Dish:

• Sunflower oil or another neutral oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 bone-in turkey legs or drumsticks
• 1 tbsp butter
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 shallots, peeled and quartered
• 5 slices streaky bacon, chopped
• 8 sage leaves fresh is best
• 70ml white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
• 60-100ml chicken stock
• ½ tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream

For the Colcannon:

• 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

Directions

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Heat two tablespoons of neutral oil in a oven-safe cast-iron frying pan. Season the turkey legs, then add them to the pan and fry, flipping once, until beautifully seared on both sides. Transfer the legs to a plate, then carefully tip out and dispose of the excess oil.

Add the butter in the pan, followed by the garlic, shallots, bacon and sage. Fry for until fragrant, until the onions and bacon take on some colour. Add the white wine, then lay the turkey legs on top of the aromatic base. Pour in the stock so the turkey legs are halfway immersed, then carefully stir in the mustard and creme fraiche. Cover the pan with foil and bake for one hour, or until the turkey legs are completely cooked through.

Chef's Note: Meanwhile, place the potato chunks in a pot of salted boiling water and cook for around 20 minutes, until tender when pricked with a fork.

In another saucepan, warm a portion of the butter, then sauté the garlic for two minutes. Incorporate the sliced cabbage and cook on a low heat, tossing now and then, for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Season, then remove from the heat.

In the meantime, in a pan, heat the milk gently and the rest of the butter. Once the potatoes are done, drain them, then return them to their pan. Crush the potatoes with the heated dairy mixture until smooth, then add the cabbage and stir it through. Adjust the seasoning once more, and hold over low heat before serving.

When the braising is complete, plate alongside the colcannon and the vegetables and juices from the pan.