Step three of my Christmas turkey: what to do tonight, and what to do tomorrow.
Weigh the crown so you know your cooking time. Mine is 2.7kg.
Brine it. Rub the rest of your citrus dry brine all over: the top, the sides and underneath. The salt draws out some moisture and acts as a vehicle to push all those flavours into the meat. Some will drop off – just keep patting it back on. It goes in the fridge overnight. In the morning, rinse off the sugar and salt brine, pat it dry and let it come to room temperature.
Cooking time. For a crown, allow 20 minutes per kilo plus an extra 60 minutes, at 170°C. (In the film I say 170 minutes – the champagne went to my head! I meant degrees.) Sit the crown on a trivet or rack lined with sprigs of thyme and sage. When it’s 40 minutes from done, nestle the parsnips in around it.
Juggling one oven. Work backwards from when you want to eat. The crown rests for about 40 minutes once it’s out, which is when the potatoes go into a hot oven. Towards the end, in go the Yorkshire puddings and the confit legs (lifted out of their fat), which just need 15–20 minutes in a hot oven to crisp.
To serve, put the crown in the middle of a platter with the shredded dark meat from the legs and wings all around it. Happy Christmas, happy eating – and look out for my leftover recipes from Boxing Day!