How to cook your festive feast in 30 minutes flat

How long do you spend cooking your Christmas dinner? For years I’ve opted for the three-hour traditional version — just as my mother did before me.

But I’ve also perfected a 30-minute option for those who are hard-pressed, eating alone or unlucky enough to be working on the day itself . . .

Quick Christmas Dinner

Serves 4

All the elements of a classic Christmas dinner, but without the cooking marathon, this meal is made entirely on the hob in just 30 minutes.

Lay out all the ingredients beforehand and pre-warm the plates. You will need a wok and two frying pans.

Have ready one dinner plate containing 1cm-depth of plain flour, another with two beaten eggs and a third with 2cm- depth breadcrumbs.

On the menu

Turkey fillet ‘pockets’ with parsley butter;

Shredded sprout stir-fry with chestnuts, bacon and baby sausages;

Pan-fried small potatoes;

Christmas cookie ice cream.

Rose advises cutting two Turkey fillets and packing the ‘pockets’ with parsley butter, pictured

30 minutes before serving . . .

• Mash up four mince pies with a fork and stir into 300g vanilla ice cream, along with a splash of rum or brandy. Return to the freezer and leave until ready to serve. (This can be done in advance if easier.) 
• Boil a kettle, then use the water to par-boil 800g potatoes for ten minutes. 
• Combine 100g chopped parsley with 2 tbsp breadcrumbs and 125g softened butter. Add sea salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg. 
• Take two 500g plump turkey breast fillets. With a sharp, narrow-blade knife cut an egg-sized cavity in each, while keeping the opening small. Be careful not to puncture the fillet so that the butter/breadcrumb stuffing will stay in during cooking.

20 minutes before . . .

• Drain the potatoes, then sauté in a large frying pan with 2 tbsp goose fat.
• Place half of the stuffing inside each fillet and close the openings.  
• Coat the fillets with flour, then dip them in the beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs.

The turkey breasts should be cooked in a frying pan over a medium heat for five minutes before turning 

15 minutes before . . .

Put 1cm oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the oil sizzles if you throw in breadcrumbs, place both turkey pockets in the pan and cook for 5 minutes, before turning. 

Use a mandolin to shred 300g sprouts. 

In another pan, stir- fry 16 cocktail sausages and four chopped rashers of bacon, until browned.

5 minutes before . . .

To ensure the turkey is cooked, put each pocket in the microwave for 2-3 minutes — a clear juice will run out, along with some of the stuffing. 

Add the sprouts to the sausage and bacon stir-fry and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Season and serve along with the potatoes and sliced turkey.

Rose advises frying 16 cocktail sausages along with some shredded Brussels sprouts