Braised turkey legs with creamy madeira mushrooms

Portion size: Serves 4
Hands-on time 35 min. Oven time 3 hours
Difficulty: easy

Freezable

Gluten-free

Emily Gussin

Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

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Gently cooking turkey legs in madeira and stock (or even leftover gravy) means they’re super tender and fall off the bone. Wonderful with earthy mushrooms and a rich creamy sauce. You can make this recipe with leftover cooked turkey legs from your Christmas dinner, too – see tips below.

Our stuffed turkey legs recipe makes a perfect Christmas main for four.

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Ingredients

2 uncooked turkey legs (see Tips)
50g salted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
30g mixed dried mushrooms
1 bay leaf
4 thyme sprigs
100ml madeira
700ml chicken stock (or gravy mixed with water)
300g button mushrooms
150ml double cream

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Method

Heat the oven to 150°C fan/gas 3½. Season the turkey legs with plenty of salt. Put the butter and 1 tbsp oil in a casserole over a medium heat and add the turkey legs. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side to colour the skin, then transfer to a plate.
Add the onions to the casserole and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until starting to soften. Soak the dried mushrooms in 300ml boiled water. Add the bay, thyme and madeira to the casserole and leave to bubble until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock, plus the mushrooms and their soaking liquid (look out for any grit in the last few drops) and bring to a simmer.
Return the turkey legs to the casserole and transfer the dish to the oven. Cover and cook for 2½-3 hours until tender enough to pull apart with a fork.
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Set a large frying pan over a high heat and add the remaining oil. Halve or quarter the fresh mushrooms, then fry for 6-7 minutes, shaking the pan now and then until golden all over. Lift the turkey legs onto a plate then, if you like, shred them. Set the casserole over a medium heat, then stir in the mushrooms and cream. Bubble for 5 minutes, then stir in the shredded turkey or return the whole legs to the casserole. Serve with mashed potatoes or steamed rice.

Nutrition

857kcals Calories
52g (24g saturated) Fat
76g Protein
15g (8.1g sugars) Carbs
4.3g Fibre
1.6g Salt

Quick wins & tips

Easy swaps If you have cooked legs or breast meat left over from roasting a whole turkey, you can make this dish in much less time. Skip step 1 and follow step 2, but use only 200ml stock or gravy and the mushroom liquid, then simmer to reduce by two thirds. Skip step 3, then shred the meat, stirring it into the sauce with the cream in step 4.

Cook smarter

Did you you know it’s estimated that 14 million turkey legs go to waste each year? James Mansfield, co-founder of Field & Flower, an online shop that strives to create a more sustainable food chain with its free-range and grass fed meat, explains: “Due to customer demand for the convenience of a turkey crown at Christmas, turkey legs are often undervalued and discarded, despite being probably the most versatile and economical cut of free-range meat you can buy. Support independent farmers by buying local and free-range, and by making the most of the whole bird to avoid food waste – turkey legs and all.”