Roast Turkey Drumstick Meat with Sweet and Sour Stir Fried Vegetables

Thick slices of turkey leg meat served on a bed of sweet and sour stir fried veg

Turkey season is fast approaching again in many parts of the world and while this dish is probably not one many people would consider serving as their main Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, it is a delicious option for using up turkey leftovers in the days that follow. I've used the meat from a turkey drumstick (cooked especially for the purpose) but you could really use meat from any part of the bird, with turkey thigh meat also likely to work especially well.

As I am using freshly cooked turkey, the meat is of course still warm. If you are using leftovers, you could simply chop the pieces of meat up in to smaller pieces and incorporate them in the stir fry.

Turkey leg ready for roasting

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1 whole turkey leg (drumstick)
Salt
Oil for roasting tray plus two tablespoons for stir frying
3/4 pound mixed stir frying vegetables
Black pepper
*3 tablespoons of sweet and sour stir fry sauce
Chopped basil leaves to garnish (optional)

*I used sweet and sour sauce from a glass jar but you could also use one of the small sachets available from supermarkets. In such instances, use the whole 5 ounce approximately sachet.

Roast turkey leg is left to rest

Directions

Your oven should be preheated to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. Lightly oil a roasting tray and season the turkey drumstick well with salt. Lay it on the tray and put it in to the oven for one hour to one and a quarter hours, depending upon the size of the drumstick.

When you take the drumstick from the oven, stick a skewer deep in to the thickest part until it hits the bone. Press down gently over the hole with the edge of the skewer and ensure the juices run clear. If not, cook for ten more minutes and test again. Lift the drumstick to a suitable dish with a carving fork and large spatula and leave for twenty minutes to rest.

Preparing to carve roast turkey leg

Lift the drumstick on to a chopping board and carve off as much of the meat as you can. The rest should be removed by hand.

Meat is carved/plucked from turkey leg bone

You could buy your stir frying vegetables individually if you wish, allowing you to select exactly what you include. Buying a pack like this is not only easier, however, it's likely to be a lot less expensive!

Assorted Chinese style stir frying vegetables

Bring your wok up to a high heat before adding the oil. When the oil is equally hot, add the vegetables and stir fry for two minutes.

Starting to stir fry the Chinese vegetables

Add the sauce to the vegetables and stir fry for about another minute to ensure the sauce is both well combined and heated through.

Sweet and sour sauce is added to stir fried veg

Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Sweet and sour sauce is stirred through vegetables

Divide the stir fried vegetables between two serving plates, arrange the turkey on top and garnish with the basil.

Sweet and sour stir fried Chinese vegetables

Roast Turkey Thigh Salad

Roast turkey thigh slices are served with a simple salad and a granary roll

We're approaching that time of year when turkeys will be bought and consumed in their millions - be it at Thanksgiving or at Christmas - but I always wonder why so many of us confine the enjoyment of turkey to just one special time of year. I buy turkey year round but rarely if ever in the form of a whole bird. I buy breast steaks for frying, diced breast meat for stir frying and perhaps most often of all, turkey legs and thighs for roasting. I bought this turkey leg and thigh last week and stuck the leg for the moment in my deep freeze. On what was an unseasonably warm Autumnal day, I roasted the thigh and served it cold as part of a simple but really delicious salad.

Turkey drumstick and thigh

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1 whole turkey thigh (bone in)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 generous handfuls of mixed salad (or as required)
2 granary bread rolls
Butter for the rolls (optional)
Homemade rowan and apple jelly to serve (or jelly of choice)

Elasticated webbing removed from turkey thigh

Directions

If your turkey thigh comes with elasticated webbing like this one, you should remove this prior to cooking. This will allow you to open up the thigh and season the flesh side with salt and pepper.

Turkey thigh ready for roasting

Your oven should be preheated to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

Lightly oil a roasting tray and lay the thigh on it, seasoned flesh side down. Rub the skin with more oil and season with salt.

Turkey thigh is pierced at thickest part

Put the turkey thigh in to your oven for one hour. Unless the thigh is exceptionally large, this should be long enough to fully cook it but it is vital to ensure this is the case in every instance. The way I do this is by sticking a metal skewer deep in to the thickest part of the thigh, right through to the bone.

Checking turkey juices run clear

Remove the skewer and use it to lightly press down right next to the hole you have made and check the escaping juices are running completely clear. Any trace of red or pink whatsoever and you should put it back in to the oven for ten more minutes before testing again in the same way.

Roast turkey thigh

When you have ensured the thigh it fully cooked, lift it with a large spatula and carving fork to a deep plate.

Roast turkey thigh is covered and left to rest

Cover the turkey thigh and leave it for at least fifteen minutes to rest.

Carving roast turkey thigh

The turkey thigh should be carved on a board. It can then be served immediately if you wish but I re-covered the sliced meat and left it to cool completely.

Roast turkey thigh slices are plated

Divide the turkey slices between two serving plates before adding the salad and roll (buttered if desired). The jelly I served with this meal is homemade rowan and apple jelly which is more commonly served with beef or wild game but I think it worked very well with the turkey.

Granary rroll and salad are plated with roast turkey thigh slices