Christmas Turkey and Potato Traybake
- Savory
- No rush
- Oven
A golden sheet-pan roast of turkey breast, crisp-edged potatoes and sweet chestnuts, scented with garlic and thyme and dotted with tart cranberries. It is a simple, high-protein centrepiece for a small holiday table.
- Total
- 85 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 55 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Basting
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 220°C. Cut the potatoes into 2 cm chunks and put them in a large roasting tray with 1 tbsp olive oil, 0.5 tsp salt and a pinch of black pepper. Toss to coat and spread in a single layer.
~10 min
A single layer lets hot air circulate around each chunk, so the potatoes brown and crisp instead of steaming.
Cut the potatoes to an even 2 cm so they finish at the same time as the turkey; larger pieces will still be firm when the meat is done.
Roasting Spread pieces in a single layer with space between them and use a hot oven; crowding the tray traps steam and leaves everything pale and soft.
-
Roast the potatoes on the upper-middle shelf until the edges start to colour, about 20 minutes.
~20 min
Giving the potatoes a head start means they will be tender by the time the quicker-cooking turkey breast is done.
Roasting Spread pieces in a single layer with space between them and use a hot oven; crowding the tray traps steam and leaves everything pale and soft.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the potatoes roast, peel and finely chop the garlic. Strip the leaves from 4 thyme sprigs and chop them. Melt the butter with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl in the warm oven, about 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic and chopped thyme.
~2 min
Warming the garlic in melted butter draws out its flavour without the high heat that would burn it and turn it bitter.
-
While step 2 cooks
Pat the turkey breast dry, season all over with the remaining 1 tsp salt and the rest of the black pepper. Roughly chop the chestnuts.
~5 min
A dry surface lets the butter and seasoning cling and helps the skin brown rather than steam.
-
Pull the tray from the oven, push the potatoes to the edges and set the turkey in the centre. Brush the turkey generously with the garlic thyme butter and scatter the chestnuts and half the cranberries around it.
~5 min
Clearing the centre gives the turkey direct contact with the hot tray and lets the potatoes keep browning at the edges.
Brush the garlic thyme butter on in two passes, half before roasting and half in the last 10 minutes, so the garlic perfumes the meat without scorching.
-
Roast until the turkey reaches 74°C at its thickest point and the potatoes are tender and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Baste once with the tray juices halfway through.
~35 min
Basting coats the meat in hot fat so it browns evenly and stays moist, while the thermometer confirms it is safely cooked.
Roasting Spread pieces in a single layer with space between them and use a hot oven; crowding the tray traps steam and leaves everything pale and soft.
Basting Spoon the hot tray juices over the meat quickly and close the oven again; leaving the door open too long drops the temperature and slows browning.
-
Scatter the remaining cranberries and the leaves from the last 2 thyme sprigs over the tray. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes before slicing the turkey.
~10 min
Resting lets the juices redistribute through the meat so they stay in the slices instead of running out onto the board.
