For many, the centrepiece of the Christmas meal is a source of culinary anxiety, but chef Max Rocha offers a liberating alternative. Instead of wrestling with a whole, often-dry bird, he champions a more forgiving and deeply flavourful approach: braised turkey legs served with a rich colcannon.
A Simpler Path to a Flavourful Feast
Rocha, the chef-owner of Café Cecilia in London's Hackney, understands the pressures of the festive kitchen. His solution, detailed in a recipe for The Guardian, elegantly sidesteps the common pitfalls of the traditional roast. By focusing on the dark meat of the legs, which benefits from long, slow cooking, he guarantees a succulent result. This method also frees up invaluable oven space for other crucial components like roast potatoes and parsnips.
The process begins by browning the turkey legs to develop a deep, savoury base. They are then braised in a fragrant liquid of white wine and chicken stock, along with aromatic vegetables like onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. A bouquet garni of thyme, bay, and parsley adds herbal complexity. The legs cook gently for about two hours until the meat is incredibly tender and falling off the bone.
The Perfect Partner: A Decadent Colcannon
No festive plate is complete without potatoes, and Rocha's accompaniment is a showstopper in its own right. His colcannon is a luxurious mash of Maris Piper potatoes, kale, and spring onions, enriched with a generous amount of butter and cream. The kale is blanched to retain its vibrant colour and fresh bite, providing a beautiful contrast to the rich, soft potatoes and the unctuous turkey.
Once the turkey is cooked, the braising liquid is transformed into a simple yet exquisite gravy. The vegetables are strained out, and the liquid is reduced and finished with a knob of cold butter, creating a glossy, flavour-packed sauce to tie the whole dish together.
Why This Recipe Wins Christmas
This approach offers several compelling advantages for the home cook. Firstly, it is inherently more forgiving than roasting a whole turkey, where timing is critical to avoid dry breast meat. The braising technique ensures moist, flavourful results every time. Secondly, the practical benefit of freeing up the main oven cannot be overstated on a day when kitchen real estate is at a premium.
Finally, it delivers on taste in a profound way. The slow cooking allows the dark meat to become exceptionally tender while absorbing the flavours of the braising stock, resulting in a main course that is both comforting and sophisticated. Paired with the creamy, buttery colcannon, it presents a memorable and less stressful centrepiece for the Christmas table, proving that tradition can be deliciously reinterpreted.
