Cooking your turkey
I always cook the legs and breast separately as I’ve found that cooking a turkey this way gives you the best results without overcooking the breast. On Christmas Eve, remove the legs and lay them in a dish covered with a thin layer of sea salt and sprinkle sea salt over the top. This is to draw out the moisture. Leave them for an hour or two and then shake them off, wiping off the excess sea salt and patting them dry with kitchen paper. Then confit them in duck fat (make sure they are completely covered) with plenty of herbs and garlic, letting them cook low and slow until the meat is incredibly tender (at least 4 hours at 120-140c). Pick the meat from the bones once the fat has cooled. Season well and mix with some fresh rosemary and sweated onions. Put the meat on a baking tray covered with foil ready to reheat.
On Christmas Day, simply cook the breast meat on the crown. Once you remove the breast from the oven, put the turkey leg meat into the oven to heat up for 20-30 minutes while you let the breast rest. This way you avoid overcooking the breast, and everything becomes much more succulent!
When it comes to carving, it’s easiest to remove the wishbone before cutting off a whole breast. Then you can simply carve nice, thick slices across the width.
