Turkey Au Vin, with Carrot & Sweet Mash, Roast Potatoes & Parsnips
- Nigel Barden
- Dec 18
- 5 min read
by Lucy Brazier and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from Christmas at River Cottage (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Photography: Charlotte Bland
It is tricky to roast the perfect turkey, with breast meat still succulent yet dark meat properly cooked through, and the bigger the bird the harder it is. Then there’s the giblets and the gravy to mess around with. There is an easier way: two dishes from one bird that pleases everyone and gives you a welcome head start on the big feast. Our turkey ‘au vin’ embraces legs, wings, and the neck and gizzard if you like.
This leaves the ‘crown’ (the breast on-the-bone) ready to roast fast and easy on the day. The all-important gravy is the full-flavoured liquor from this slow-cooked dish. Just like the classic coq au vin, this is better made the day before and left to mellow overnight in the fridge. Ask your butcher or supplier to prepare the turkey for you:
you want the legs as drumsticks and thighs, and the wings whole.
Serves 6–8 (based on a 4–5kg turkey)
Ingredients
3–4 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
250g belly bacon or pancetta, diced
2 turkey legs, cut into drumsticks and thighs
2 turkey wings (plus neck and gizzard, if you have it)
2 onions, peeled and cut into quarters
2 large carrots, cut into chunks
4 celery sticks, cut into 3cm lengths
4 garlic cloves, crushed
150ml cider brandy
500ml red wine
2–3 bay leaves
A sprig of thyme
Sea salt and black pepper
Saucey treats (optional):
A dash of soy sauce
2–3 tsp strong coffee
½–1 tsp redcurrant jelly
A knob of softened butter mixed with 2–3 tsp plain flour (to make a roux)
Method
Preheat the oven to 140°C/Fan 120°C/Gas 2. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, add the bacon and cook, stirring, until it takes on a little colour. Transfer to a flameproof casserole dish or large saucepan.
Now brown the turkey pieces in the pan (including the neck and gizzard), turning to colour them evenly. You’ll need to do this in a couple of batches. Transfer the turkey to the casserole. Add a dash more oil to the pan and brown the onions, carrots and celery; add those too.
Add the garlic to the frying pan, then pour in the cider brandy to deglaze, stirring and scraping up the bits, then carefully add the wine. Pour the hot booze into the turkey pot, adding the herbs and some salt and pepper. Cover and cook in the oven for at least 2 hours until the meat is tender and almost falling from the bone. (Or simmer very gently over a low hob.)
Strain the liquor into a separate pan so you can tweak and perfect your ‘gravy’. If you want more ‘depth’, add a dash of soy and a splash of coffee, but not so much that you actually taste either of those things. If you want a touch of sweetness, add a little redcurrant jelly.
If you are happy with a thin (but tasty) jus, pour it back over the turkey pieces now. If you want it a bit thicker, bring to a gentle simmer, then add the roux, a small piece at a time, whisking as you go. It doesn’t take much to thicken the sauce, so go carefully and let it simmer for a minute before adding more roux. When you have sauce perfection, pour it back over the turkey and leave to cool. Keep in the fridge until the Christmas feast.
Gently reheat the turkey in the sauce, and serve everyone the tender meat (on or off the bone), alongside the carved meat from the crown, with lots of the liquor/gravy/sauce to accompany both.
Carrot & Swede Mash
Swede is often overlooked but all it needs is a chance – and a generous amount of butter. This is a dish that can also be made earlier in the day and then reheated at the last moment. It captures the sweetness of the root veg and adds a vibrant splash of orange to the plate. I add any leftovers to the Boxing Day bubble and squeak.
Serves 6
Ingredients
500g swede
500g carrots
50g butter
Sea salt and black pepper
Method
Peel the swede and carrots and chop into 1cm cubes, keeping them separate. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the swede. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes before adding the carrots. Cook for another 10 minutes until both veg are soft but not collapsing.
Drain off the water, then add the butter to the pan with plenty of pepper and mash with a potato masher. If you want a smooth purée, then give it a final blitz in the food processor. Taste to check the seasoning and reheat to serve.
Classic Roast Potatoes & Parsnips
You could take different routes here – adding garlic and rosemary to the tray, or roasting the parsnips separately with a spicy mix of cumin, coriander seeds and fennel – but for Christmas lunch I like to keep it classic. It also helps your kitchen space, and your head space, if you combine these two roots.
Serves 6–8
Ingredients
1kg potatoes, ideally Maris Piper
125g goose or duck fat, or 125ml rapeseed oil
500g parsnips
Sea salt and black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Peel the potatoes and quarter if large, or cut into thirds if medium sized.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add a couple of pinches of salt followed by the potatoes. Let it return to the boil and boil the spuds for 5 minutes, then drain off the water (saving some in a jug to use in your gravy). Allow the potatoes to ‘steam dry’ for a couple of minutes, then give them a quick bash around the pan to roughen up their surfaces.
Put the fat or oil into a large roasting tray and place in the oven to heat up for a few minutes – it should be sizzling by the time you take it out.
Tip the potatoes into the roasting tray and turn them to give them a good coat of hot fat, then sprinkle with salt. Put the tray back into the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the potatoes and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the parsnips and halve them lengthways.
Now add the parsnips to the roasting tray and give everything a good baste with the fat. The veg shouldn’t be crowded or they won’t crisp up so, if you cannot fit them all in one tray, heat a second tray and split the potatoes and parsnips between them.
Return the tray(s) to the oven and roast for another 30 minutes until the potatoes and parsnips are golden. If they are not quite crisp enough, leave them in for another 10 minutes. Serve straight away.
Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish:
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