SPONSORED CONTENT: The Drumossie Hotel has your festive fare all wrapped up!
The Macdonald Drumossie Hotel’s executive chef, Euan Walker, serves up his fabulous Christmas Day feast!
For chefs and foodies alike, Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year!
It is a time for sheer indulgence and not feeling guilty about it, well, until January anyway.
Christmas dinner is the highlight of the big day and on December 25 we look forward to tucking into a succulent, flavourful turkey with all the trimmings.
Winter produces an excellent harvest with floury potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and red cabbage, to mention just a few, which all make delicious sides for a Christmas turkey.
For a change to the traditional roast bird, check out the recipe for turkey ballotine with sage and black pudding stuffing.
Easy to prepare and no giblets to contend with, you can enjoy a turkey dinner without worrying if the bird will fit into your oven and avoid any carving catastrophes at the table.
The dish also features the sweet-salty flavour and crispness of pancetta as an indulgent alternative to bacon – well it is Christmas after all – and a stuffing of traditional pork and sage ramped up with the added richness of black pudding and sweet apricots.
The side dishes are just as key to a successful Christmas dinner as the turkey and there are some wonderful flavours to enjoy this season such as Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, and roasted carrots and parsnips, which make the perfect accompaniments.
Christmas is a time for enjoying yourself so indulge in the rich, sweet flavours of the festive season and leave the salads to January!
Merry Christmas from all at the Macdonald Drumossie Hotel.
The Drumossie’s Christmas turkey with all the trimmings
Turkey ballotine with sage and black pudding stuffing
Ingredients
400g of turkey breast
Pancetta
50g of black pudding
8x dried sliced apricots
75g of pork mince
Sliced sage
Method
1. Thinly slice the turkey breast. Lay the pancetta out on plastic wrap, overlapping, and place the turkey on top.
2. Mix the black pudding, pork mince, sage, apricots and put onto the turkey. Roll all in a sausage shape with the plastic wrap on the outside and tie the ends. Cook in heated water at 65 degrees for one hour.
3. Remove from the water and take off the plastic wrap. Sear the outside in a hot pan with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil.
4. Colour until the pancetta is crispy and the core temperature is at 78 degrees. Take out from the pan and rest for 5 minutes. Slice into portions.
Roast potatoes
Ingredients
4x large potatoes
2x cloves of garlic
2x sprigs of rosemary
2x sprigs of thyme
2x tbsp of duck fat
Salt
Pepper
Method
1. Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters. Wash in cold water and cover with cold water. Put on the stove to boil until they just start to go tender then drain.
2. Put the potatoes onto an oven tray while still warm and add the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and the duck fat. Make sure that all the potatoes are covered all over with the ingredients.
3. Put the tray into a preheated oven at 190 degrees for 40 minutes until you achieve a tender and fluffy centre and crisp outer.
Sprouts with pancetta and apricot
Ingredients
20x Brussels sprouts
Pancetta
10x dried apricots
2x tbsp of butter
Chives
Method
1. Blanch the sprouts in boiling salted water.
2. Fry the pancetta until golden and crisp with the butter and add the apricots.
3. Drain the sprouts and cut in half then add to the pancetta. Finish with chopped chives and check the seasoning.
Red cabbage
Ingredients
2x apple
1x small red cabbage
250ml white wine vinegar
250g caster sugar
250ml red wine
Salt
Pepper
1x bay leaf
1x star anise
Method
1. Finely slice the red cabbage and grate the apple.
2. Add all to a pot.
3. Reduce and cook until the cabbage is tender and sticky.
Roast carrots and parsnips
Ingredients
3x carrots
3x parsnips
2x tbsp of butter
2x tbsp of soy sauce
2x tbsp of honey
Method
1. Peel the carrots and parsnips. Blanch in separate pans with a pinch of salt until they start to go tender then drain.
2. Put the butter into a frying pan and then add the carrots, parsnips, soy sauce and honey.
3. Continue to caramelize the vegetables until they have a nice colour and glaze.
www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/drumossie
Click the links below to discover more from the Drumossie including:
- Pear tarte tatin with homemade cinnamon ice cream
- Keep it simple and let autumn's natural flavours shine through
- All the flavour but none of the fuss with these one-pot wonders
