Christmas isn't Christmas without turkey, but sometimes a whole roast bird isn't suitable for your festive dinner. This is especially true if you're catering for a smaller crowd, don't have a lot of space left in your oven for all there other elements, or money is a bit tight this year.
This is where a rolled turkey roast comes in handy. Rolled turkey is comprised of two turkey breasts bound together using bacon and string before roasting. Two 900g turkey breasts should sufficiently feed six of you, but if there's a smaller number of guests, you can easily use it for leftovers the next day too. Some of our left over recipes include turkey and ham pie, turkey bubble and squeak and biryani.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Combine the garlic and butter. Season, then rub over the turkey breasts. Lay one breast on a board and place the other on top so the thickness of the turkey roll will be roughly even. Stretch the bacon slices over the turkey, overlapping them a little. Tie the roll together with string, spacing knots 5cm (2in) apart. Put on a large wire rack over a large roasting tin.
Step 2
Roast for 11/2 hr or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the turkey.
Step 3
Transfer the turkey to a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for about 20min before carving. Serve with vegetables, sauces and stuffing of your choice.
Day-After Pie:
Heat 1tbsp oil in a large pan and cook 1 finely chopped onion for 10min until softened. Add 150g sliced mushrooms and fry for 5min. Stir in 21/2tbsp flour and cook for 1min. Gradually stir in 300ml each chicken stock and double cream. Bring to the boil, stirring, then simmer for 5min to thicken. Stir in 200g chopped cooked turkey, 150g chopped ham and 1tbsp wholegrain mustard. Season. Tip into an ovenproof serving dish, cover with mashed potato and cook in a preheated 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 oven for about 30min until golden. Serves 6
Get ahead
Prepare the turkey roll to the end of step 1 up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. When ready to serve, complete the recipe.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
