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When we cook, we often slow-cook chicken and rabbit legs, since every step is completed ahead of time. For Christmas, I often employ for turkey legs – it’s a lovely way to eat them. Pair it with creamy mashed potatoes with cabbage, but steamed rice, simple boiled potatoes or oven-roasted carrots make fine alternatives.

Simmered Drumsticks with Herbs, Mustard & Cream, and Colcannon

This can easily be scaled up to feed more people – you’ll just need a bigger pot.

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, diced
• 8 sage leaves preferably fresh
• 70ml white wine a dry variety
• 60-100ml chicken stock
• ½ tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream

For the Potato Side:

• 500g large floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, peeled and cut into chunks.
• 100g unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
• ½ savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
• Salt and black pepper
• 100ml milk whole or semi-skimmed

Cooking Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Warm a couple of spoonfuls of neutral oil in a oven-safe pan. Pat the turkey legs dry and season, then lay them in the pan and sear, turning once, until nicely coloured on both sides. Take the turkey out to a plate, then pour out and discard the cooking fat.

Add the butter in the pan, and then incorporate the garlic, shallots, bacon and sage. Sauté over medium-high heat five to 10 minutes, until the onions and bacon soften and color. Deglaze with the wine, then place the seared legs on top of the aromatic base. Pour in the stock so the turkey legs are covered halfway, then whisk in the mustard and creme fraiche. Place a foil lid on the pan and cook in the oven for one hour, or until the turkey legs are fall-off-the-bone tender.

Key Point: While that's cooking, put the potatoes in a large saucepan of water and cook for 20 minutes, until tender when pricked with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a second pan, melt two tablespoons of the butter, then add the garlic for two minutes. Stir in the shredded savoy and cook on a gentle heat, mixing from time to time, for 10 to 15 minutes, until wilted. Adjust the seasoning, then set aside.

In a third saucepan, combine the milk and the leftover butter. Drain the cooked potatoes, then return them to their pan. Crush the potatoes with the creamy liquid until lump-free, then fold in the cooked cabbage and combine well. Season again to taste, and hold over low heat before serving.

When the braising is complete, plate alongside the colcannon and the cooking liquid from the pan.