The ultimate Christmas dinner recipe

With less than a week to go to the big event, we bring you chef Adrian Martin's ultimated Christmas dinner recipe...

A word from the chef
It’s coming close to Christmas day. So here are some recipes that are easy to do and ensure everything comes together nicely without stress. Plan ahead and you can do a lot of the prep a day in advanced, such as peeling carrots, chopping brussel sprouts, gravy etc... I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and Santa is good too you all.
See you soon,
Adrian

The best turkey in the world
I always find that a smaller sized turkey at 6-8kg has way more flavour than cooking a big bird. If I am buying turkey I buy from my local craft butcher as quality is assured every time.
Turkey should be cooked 30-40 mins for every kilogram. So a 7kg turkey should be cooked for 4-4 and a half hours.
I really recommend either a whole turkey or turkey breast.

Ingredients
6-8kg turkey
Rosemary, bay or thyme sprigs
3 onions, chopped skin on
For the butter
3/4 large knobs of butter
2 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
4 cloves of garlic crushed
Sea salt and ground black pepper

Method
Firstly rub the butter all over the turkey.
Make a vegetable trivet with the onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme by chopping them roughly and placing them on your roasting tray. Take your turkey out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking to come to room temperature. Season the turkey with salt and black pepper.
Remember to preheat the oven for 10 mins before cooking. Cook the turkey at 180oC using the guidelines I have given above covered in foil. Every 30 mins take the turkey out and baste it with the beautiful juices to stop it from drying out.
For the last 10-15 mins take the foil off to crisp the skin. Once cooked take the turkey out, cover in tin foil, and tea towels and allow to rest for 30-40 mins so all the juices run back into the meat.

CRISPY HASSELBACK POTATOES
6 maris piper potatoes washed with skin on
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2tbsps of oil
A good pinch of seasalt

Method
Heat the oven to 200°C. Between two chopsticks or two wooden spoons. Slice all along the potatoes about 2mm between the cuts. The purpose of the chopsticks or wooden spoons is to stop you cutting fully through the potatoes.
Place the sliced potatoes on a baking tray when finished and drizzle with oil, sprinkle with thyme and seasalt.
Roast for about 40 mins or until crispy and cooked.

TURKEY GRAVY
Ingredients
The juices from your turkey or 300mls of chicken stock
2 sprigs of thyme
1/4 a glass of white wine
4tbsps of cream or milk
Optional 1tbsp of cornflour mixed with a drop of water.

Method
In a smoking hot saucepan place your white wine and thyme in and reduce by half. Now pour in your turkey juice or chicken stock and again reduce this by half on a high heat. Turn the heat down and mix in your cream or milk. If the sauce isn’t thick enough use the cornflour to thicken. Finish the sauce with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Double the quantities if you want a good amount of sauce.

IRRESISTIBLE BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Brussels sprouts are one thing my whole family hate so I changed them up one year making them this way and they can’t get enough of them: sliced brussels sprouts with red onion, soya and sesame seeds.

Ingredients
1 bag of Brussels sprouts washed and sliced
2 red onions peeled and sliced
2 h andfuls of sesame seed
6tbsps of soya sauce
3tbsps of sweet chilli sauce
Pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper
(Optional some grated ginger at the end)

Method
In a smoking hot wok with some oil sweat off your sliced onions for 30 seconds on a high heat, now add your brussels sprouts and sweat them down for 2 mins. Add in the soya, sweet chilli and sesame seed and cook down on a low heat for 10-15 mins. Finish off with the salt and cracked black pepper and serve.

GLAZED CARROTS
Ingredients
6 large carrots peeled and chopped at an angle
4tbsps of honey
1tbsps of butter
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
1 h andful of mint leaves

Method
Boil the carrots for 11 minutes in some salt and water. Strain and add in the honey, butter and grate in the ginger. Now boil until the honey caramelises and coats the carrots. Chop in the mint right at the end and serve or keep warm until serving.

GLAZED HAM
Ingredients
1 quality 3-4kg ham from your local craft butcher

For the glaze
20-30 cloves
2tbps of english mustard
2tbps of honey
1tsp of wholegrain mustard

Method
Place the ham in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring it to the boil and simmer for 2-2 and half hours depending on the size of the ham. Remove the ham and keep the liquid as it is perfect for a soup as long as you skim off the froth from the top.
Score the ham lightly with a sharp knife and place onto a roasting tray. Place on the cloves in a nice decoration. Now mix the mustards and honey together in a bowl. Brush over the glaze and allow to glaze slowly in the oven at 160oC for 30 mins.
Every 5 mins check the ham and spoon over the glaze that goes onto the tray. Allow the ham to rest for 30 mins before carving. Enjoy.