Serves 6, with leftovers
3kg capon
1 onion
½ lemon
4 garlic cloves
30g melted butter, for brushing
salt and pepper
For the pork stuffing:
1 tbsp butter, for frying
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
200g pork mince
2 tsp dried sage (if you can get smoked sage, do!)
50g breadcrumbs
1 apple, grated
1 egg
salt and pepper
1 tbsp flour, for the gravy
For the goose-fat potatoes
2kg floury potatoes
150g goose fat
4 sprigs rosemary
5 garlic cloves
salt
For the Brussels sprouts
750g brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
5 slices pancetta
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
salt and pepper
Take capon out of the fridge an hour before putting it into the oven, so it can get to room temperature.
Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion for 4 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Set aside and leave to cool. In a bowl, combine the pork mince with the sage, breadcrumbs, grated apple, egg and cooled onion and garlic. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put the capon into a large roasting tin. Peel the onion and cut in half. Stuff one half into the bird’s cavity, followed by two garlic cloves, half the lemon, the remaining garlic cloves and the remaining onion half.
Put half the pork stuffing into neck part of the bird, making sure not to stuff it too tightly as the stuffing will expand in the oven. Close the neck skin over the stuffing and secure with a few tooth picks. Form little stuffing balls with the remaining stuffing mixture, place into a greased tin and put in the fridge until later.
Brush the bird with melted butter all over and season with salt and pepper. Place in the tin breast-side down and roast for 1 ½ hours – basting the capon regularly with the meat juices.
Meanwhile, prepare the roast potatoes.
After 1 ½ hours, turn the bird over, so that it’s breast side up, and roast for another hour. Add the roast potatoes to the oven 40 minutes before the bird is done. Add the stuffing balls 20 minutes before the bird is done.
Take the bird out, pour the meat juices into a saucepan. Cover the bird in foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
During that time, stir-fry the Brussels sprouts and make the gravy. Bring the meat juices to a boil, take out a few spoonfuls and put them into a little bowl. Add a tablespoon of flour to the bowl and mix until you have a smooth paste, add to the gravy and cook for another minute until it thickens.
For the goose-fat potatoes:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized chunks.
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 5-6 minutes until almost cooked
(they will still feel firm when pierced with a knife). Drain and shake the potatoes around a little in the colander until the outsides are roughened – this will make them really crispy.
Put the goose fat into a roasting tin and melt in the oven for 5 minutes. Take the tin out of the oven and carefully add the potatoes to the tin (watch out as the fat will be really hot). Crush the unpeeled garlic cloves by pushing down on them with a wooden spoon. Add to the tin with the rosemary and sprinkle everything with salt. Put in the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
Midway through the baking, after about 25 minutes, take out the tin out, give the potatoes a shake and roast for another 25 minutes.
For the Brussels sprouts:
Trim the Brussels sprouts and roughly chop. Cut the pancetta into thin slices.
Melt the olive oil in a pan, add the pancetta and fry until crisp. Add the chopped sprouts and the fennel seeds and stir-fry for 7 minutes or until soft. Add a splash of water if needed.
Crush the garlic clove and add for the last minute, stirring, then add the Worcester sauce, season with salt and pepper, give it another stir and serve.
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