Slow Roast Turkey Leg (+ Amazing Turkey Gravy!)

Name: Slow Roast Turkey Leg (+ Amazing Turkey Gravy!)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 45 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 2 large onions; 2 large carrots; 1 stick of celery; 1 garlic bulb; 3 dried bay leaves; 300 ml chicken stock; 1 kg turkey leg (AKA turkey drumstick); 1 tablespoon olive oil; salt and pepper to taste; 1 tablespoon cornflour (US – cornstarch); 2 tablespoons cold water

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Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 15 mins
Total Time
3 hrs
Servings
4 people
Calories
402 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American, British

Slow Roast Turkey Leg (+ Amazing Turkey Gravy!)

Nash Knight

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Turkey legs are much cheaper than whole turkeys and ‘white meat’ joints like turkey crowns and breast joints – making them a great option if you are watching the pennies. The best way to cook your turkey leg is to slow roast it – this will give you a much better flavour and texture. (Plus this easy peasy Slow Roast Turkey Leg recipe creates the most amazing turkey gravy!)

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Ingredients

Servings

2 large onions peeled and each one cut into 8 wedges
2 large carrots chopped into large chunks (no need to peel)
1 stick of celery chopped into large chunks
1 garlic bulb halved horizontally
3 dried bay leaves
300 ml chicken stock (from a cube is fine – See Note 1)
1 kg turkey leg (AKA turkey drumstick) (See Note 2)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (See Note 3)
1 tablespoon cornflour (US – cornstarch)
2 tablespoons cold water

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 160C / 140C fan / gas mark3 / 325F.
Place the chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a roasting tin (Approx 30 cm x 25cm – like THIS ONE).
Add the bay leaves and chicken stock to the roasting tin.
Remove the turkey leg from the packaging and gently pat dry with kitchen roll. Drizzle over the olive oil, and sprinkle over some salt and pepper. Use your hands to spread this all over the turkey leg.
Place the turkey leg on top of the vegetables in the roasting tin and cover the whole thing completely with tin foil. (You may have to use 2 sheets sideways, unless you have very wide tin foil.)
Place the roasting tin in your preheated oven and roast for 2 hours.
After the 2 hours, turn the heat up to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F. Then take the roasting tin out of the oven and remove the foil.
Return the roasting tin to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes to crisp up the skin. (Make sure the liquid does not completely dry out - See Note 4.)
After the 30 minutes take the roasting tin out of the oven and place the turkey on a board or plate to rest for 10-15 minutes while you make the gravy. (See Note 5.)
To make the gravy, place a sieve over a medium-sized saucepan and tip the vegetables and liquid from the roasting tin into the sieve. Using a large spoon, press down on the vegetables to get all the liquid out of them and into the saucepan. (See Note 6.) Remove the sieve from the pan.
Mix together 1 tablespoon of cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a thin paste (it should be roughly the consistency of single cream – add more cold water if necessary to achieve this consistency.)
Pour the cornflour mixture into the saucepan and stir to combine with the strained roasting liquid.
Gently heat the gravy until bubbling, stirring frequently to ensure a smooth consistency. If too thick for your tastes, thin out with some boiling water from the kettle. (If too thin, add another tablespoon of cornflour, mixed first with cold water as above.)
Tip into a gravy boat or jug and serve with your turkey leg.

Notes

You can also use turkey stock if you prefer.
A 1kg turkey leg joint will typically serve 3-4 people, depending on appetite and accompaniments. If you are catering for more people or for people with larger appetites, simply roast 2 turkey leg joints on the same bed of vegetables. (Ensure the 2 turkey legs are not touching for best results.)
I recommend being quite sparing with the salt as too much will make the gravy too salty – I use just a tiny pinch.
If you wrap with foil well, you shouldn’t need to add any more liquid… but if your foil was a bit loose you may find most of the liquid has evaporated – in which case add a splash more (But not too much or your gravy will be too thin and not as flavoursome!)
If you are worried your turkey leg will get cold, you can wrap it in tin foil and cover it with a couple of teatowels – the problem with this is that the skin will no longer be crispy. If your kitchen is quite warm, the turkey should not cool down too much during its 10-15 minutes resting time, so I generally leave it uncovered so the skin stays crispy!
You have two options here… you can either press lightly, so the vegetables stay whole and then tip the veggies into a serving dish to serve up alongside the turkey OR you can press really hard so that the veggies turn into mush. This second option will give you a better tasting gravy – you can then use the ‘mush’ as the basis for a lovely soup the next day – just pop it into an airtight container in the fridge.
Suitable for freezing.
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 402kcal (20%) Carbohydrates 13g (4%) Protein 43g (86%) Fat 19g (29%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Cholesterol 150mg (50%) Sodium 294mg (12%) Potassium 854mg (24%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 5155IU (103%) Vitamin C 7mg (8%) Calcium 66mg (7%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 402 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	402kcal	20%
Carbohydrates	13g	4%
Protein	43g	86%
Fat	19g	29%
Saturated Fat	5g	25%
Polyunsaturated Fat	4g	24%
Monounsaturated Fat	7g	35%
Cholesterol	150mg	50%
Sodium	294mg	12%
Potassium	854mg	18%
Fiber	2g	8%
Sugar	5g	10%
Vitamin A	5155IU	103%
Vitamin C	7mg	8%
Calcium	66mg	7%
Iron	4mg	22%