Turkey Legs - Confit Style

Today, I bring the dark meat turkey lovers out there a real treat!  Confit Turkey Legs!  My husband and I first enjoyed these at our daughter and SIL's home last Thanksgiving.  This past weekend we had an early Thanksgiving feast with some of our family and I decided to try making these myself.  

If you've ever tried making or eaten confit duck legs, you know how the cooking process makes the meat so tender.  The combination of dried chilis, garlic and oregano in this recipe are reminiscent of slow braised pork shoulder and almost as tender!  

The turkey legs can easily be braised one to four days ahead and either sliced and reheated or reheated whole in a low oven and then browned in a skillet until crisp.  I made these a day ahead and simply sliced and reheated the meat along with the whole turkey that I prepared fresh that morning.   I also chose not to use the optional almond sauce that is included in the recipe.  

I'm sorry I didn't get any 'after' photos, but, I will share how tender and delicious they are!  My husband raved about them.  For him, this was the best part of the meal.    

So, if you have dark-meat lovers in your family, please give this recipe a try.  

Happy Thanksgiving!   

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Turkey Legs - Confit Style

4 - 6 Servings

Braising Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp. plus ¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 whole turkey legs (4–5 lb. total)
6 garlic cloves, smashed, plus 2 heads of garlic, divided
8 dried guajillo, ancho, or New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds removed
4 sprigs oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano
3–4 cups (or more) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. (or more) crushed red pepper flakes

Ingredients for Sauce:  

½ cup unsalted roasted almonds or peanuts
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl. Place turkey legs in a baking dish just big enough to fit them or a medium Dutch oven. Sprinkle all over with the brown sugar mixture and scatter smashed garlic cloves over them. Let sit at room temperature at least 2 hours, or chill up to 12 hours (the longer the better).

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 275°F. Cut heads of garlic heads in half crosswise. Place the garlic halves, chiles and oregano sprigs around the turkey legs. Pour in oil until turkey is mostly if not completely submerged.  Push down chiles beneath oil as they can burn if above the surface. You may need a bit more oil depending on your pot and size of turkey legs.  The garlic and chili infused oil can be used in all kinds so don't through it away after braising!

Braise turkey, uncovered, until meat has shrunk away from drumsticks dramatically and meat shreds easily with firm pressure, 3–4 hours.  Keep the temperature at a lazy simmer and reduce heat if it starts to bubbled too vigorously. Let meat rest, still submerged in fat, at least 1 hour.

If making sauce, pick out chiles from braising oil with tongs and place in a blender; add red pepper flakes and 1 cup braising oil. Let cool slightly, then blend until chiles are coarsely chopped. Add almonds and pulse until largest pieces are no bigger than a red pepper flake. Add sesame seeds and pulse just to combine. Season with remaining ¼ tsp. salt and add more red pepper flakes if desired.  Otherwise, strain the oil and reserve, refrigerated, for browning potatoes, frying eggs or your next confit project.  

If eating right away, heat 2 Tbsp. braising oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook turkey legs, carefully turning with 2 pairs of tongs, until brown and crisp all over, 8–10 minutes (I eliminated this step). Serve with the almond-chile sauce, if desired. 

Turkey legs can be braised up to 4 days ahead. 

2 Thumbs Up! 

Adapted from Epicurious.  Visit the site to read reviews and other suggestions.  

Roasted Dry-Brined Turkey

I hope all of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful holiday!  

This year, I decided to try a new recipe for my family's Thanksgiving turkey. In the past, I've brined turkey in seasoned, salted water but I didn't like having to find enough refrigerator space to keep a bucket large enough to hold the turkey and brine liquid. I found this recipe for dry-brining and the reviews were very good. The reviewers mentioned how crispy and good the skin was. That was enough to hook me!

They were right!  The recipe produced a tender and delicious bird with amazing, crispy skin.  During the first part of the roasting process, the turkey is placed breast down in the roasting pan, which helps keep the breast juicy and tender.  The tricky part is flipping the turkey onto it's back again - but since the recipe calls for a 10-12 turkey, it wasn't too difficult.  If you need a larger amount of turkey for your gathering, I suggest making two birds - one the day before and then another one the day you plan on serving it for that crispy skin. 

The high heat during the roasting process makes this turkey finish much faster than other recipes - unless you decide to stuff your turkey as I did - then it takes somewhat longer to finish. Let your meat thermometer by your guide.

Roasted Dry-Brined Turkey

Adapted from Fine Cooking

Printable Recipe

You will find my notes for a stuffed turkey in italics and underlined throughout the recipe.

Serves ten.

One 10- to 12-lb. turkey
1/4 cup kosher salt (I used slightly more than half that amount with good results)

2 medium to large yellow onions, unpeeled and cut into eighths*
2 medium carrots, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch chunks*
2 medium ribs celery, cut into 1-inch chunks*

*Note:  I did not use the onions, carrots and celery as I made my usual stuffing

The night before: Remove the giblets from the turkey, cut off the tail, if attached, and reserve them for your gravy or another use. Rinse the turkey thoroughly and dry with paper toweling inside and out. Sprinkle the salt all over it, starting on the back side, then the cavity, and finally the breast. Put the turkey on a wire rack set over a rimmed pan or platter and refrigerate uncovered overnight. My discovery - If you tuck the wings under the back before you put it into the refrigerator overnight, then the wings will remain neatly tucked when roasting the next day. 

One hour before roasting: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature. Place stuffing in turkey cavities, if using.  Fifteen to 20 minutes before roasting, position a rack in the lowest part of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Put half of the onions, carrots, and celery in the turkey cavity (eliminate this step if you have stuffed your turkey). Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wings behind the neck and under the turkey. Scatter the remaining onions, carrots, and celery in a large roasting pan fitted with a V rack (again, eliminate this step if you have stuffed your turkey). Set the turkey, breast side down, on the V rack.

Roast for 30 minutes. Pour 1 cup of water into the roasting pan and roast for another 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and close the oven door. With two wads of paper towels (or clean oven mitts) carefully turn the turkey over so that it's breast side up. Add another 1/2 cup water to the roasting pan. Return the turkey to the oven and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170°F, about another 45 minutes for a turkey in the 10-lb. range, or about another 1 hour for a 12-lb. turkey. Here again, as my turkey was stuffed, it took longer to roast - perhaps an additional hour.  (Keep a close eye on the vegetables and pan drippings throughout the cooking process. They should be kept dry enough to brown and produce the rich brown drippings to make gravy, but moist enough to keep from burning, so add water as needed throughout.) Transfer the turkey to a carving board or platter, tent with foil, and let rest for at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour before carving and serving.  If your turkey was stuffed, remove stuffing to a separate bowl as soon as you can handle the turkey.

Smacked Flat Chicken and Linguine with Broccoli Sauce

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Here is dnner combination that I used to make often when my girls were in high school and living at home. It was great for those nights before a big tennis match. The original recipe is from Creme de Colorado, still one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. I've lightened up the calories in the recipes but the great flavors still shine through.

The original recipe calls for turkey tenderloins but I have always used chicken.  It's called Smacked Flat because the chicken (or turkey) is pounded thin and then coated with seasoned bread crumbs, herbs and grated Parmesan cheese.  The thin medallions only take a few minutes to saute and then a little butter and the juice of a lemon are added to the pan to make a sauce to pour over the sauteed chicken.

The real star of the plate is the Linguine in Broccoli Cream Sauce.  This would be a delicious side to any variety of meats and seafood or could stand on it's own with some toasted pine nuts and a side salad. Even those who don't like plain broccoli will love this! (You can hide the broccoli garnish and they won't even know.)
   

Enjoy!

Smacked Flat Chicken with Linguine in Broccoli Cream Sauce

Adapted from Creme de Colorado
Printable Recipe

Smacked Flat Chicken

Serves 4

4 turkey tenderloins or 4 boneless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup butter (I either omit or use just 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter (I use only 1)
Juice of 1 lemon

Pound turkey or chicken lightly between 2 sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper to about 1/4-inch thickness. (I usually cut each breast into 2 pieces, and then pound them. ) In a plastic bag or a bowl combine the garlic powder, bread crumbs, Parmesan, pepper and paprika. Shake or dust each piece of meat until well coated and place on a waxed paper-lined plate, using waxed paper in between layers of meat, if necessary. Can be made ahead and refrigerated up to this point.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter, if using, until hot. Saute tenderloins, a few at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Drain on paper toweling and keep on a warm platter.

Add a small amount of butter to the skillet over high heat. When it bubbles, add the juice of one lemon and stir rapidly. Continue to cook over high heat, stirring constantly while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet as the mixture thickens slightly. Pour this over the tenderloins and serve.

Linguine in Broccoli Cream Sauce

Adapted from Creme de Colorado
Printable Recipe

Serves 8 as a side dish

1-1/2 pounds of fresh broccoli
Reserve 1/4 cup of broccoli-cooking liquid
1/4 cup butter (I use 1/8 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated, if you have it)
1 large clove of garlic, cut into slices
1 cup heavy cream (I use fat-free half & half)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound linguine, cooked al dente and drained

Trim off and discard the ends of the broccoli stems. Cut off flowerets and peel and slice stems. Heat a large saucepan of salted water to boiling. Add broccoli and cook for about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Rinse broccoli until cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside liquid and 3/4 cup of the cooked flowerets for garnish.

In a food processor with the steel blade, combine remaining broccoli, reserved cooking liquid, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn on processor and drop garlic through the feed tube. Process until smooth. Can be made ahead up to this point. Cover and let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.

In a saucepan, heat the cream (or fat free half & half) over medium heat and stir in broccoli sauce. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan and heat to simmering. In a heated serving dish, toss the warm pasta with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Garnish with reserved flowerets and serve immediately.

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy with a Bonus - Turkey Pot Pies

My Thanksgiving gravy is almost finished, how about yours?  Want to lighten the load a little on Thanksgiving?  Try do-ahead gravy. If you do an internet search, you will find lots of recipes for do-ahead gravy.  I think I originally found this one on a Cooking Forum years ago. The one I used can be found here.

All you need is 4 large turkey wings or thighs and roast them in the oven along with sliced onion until the turkey parts are nicely browned so that there are some nicely browned bits on the bottom of the roasting pan. If you have used some really big wings and maybe a thigh or two, you'll even have some turkey meat left over to make pre-Thanksgiving pot pies as I did!

I tried a new recipe for pot pie that I loved! The topping on the pot pies is a cheddar biscuit crust which was delicious. I first saw this recipe at Sara's blog Cupcake Muffin and I found this one at Epicurious using turkey. The cheddar biscuits are such a wonderful new addition to pot pie!

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Do-Ahead Turkey Gravy Stock

Adapted from This Recipe
Printable Recipe

Can be made up to 3 months ahead and frozen in an airtight container. Thaw 2 days in refrigerator. Whisk often while reheating in saucepan. If space permits, refrigerate the broth overnight so the fat that rises can solidify and be easily removed. *See my note below.

4 Turkey wings (about 3 pounds) I used one large turkey thigh also
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered and sliced
1 cup water
8 cups good quality chicken stock (I like Kitchen Basics No Salt Added Brand, but if you have homemade, even better)
¾ cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery, include some of the leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme

*See My Note Below
¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange wings/thighs in single layer in a large roasting pan. Scatter onions over top. Roast about 2 hours - or until turkey parts are well browned.

Allow the roasted turkey parts to cool and remove the meat from the bones and reserve for another use. Put the bones and roasted onions in a 5 to 6 quart pot. Add water to the roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom and sides. (These are essential for a good gravy!). Add to pot. Add 6 cups of stock, the carrot, celery and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 1 ½ hours.

Strain the broth into a container, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables. Refrigerate overnight, if possible and skim off the fat solids from the top the next day.

When ready to make the gravy, Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups broth until smooth.

Bring broth in saucepan to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour mixture and boil 3 to 4 mintues to thicken and remove floury taste. Stir in butter and pepper.

Serve or pour into containers and refrigerate up to one week or freeze up to three months.

*NOTE: I stopped short of adding the flour and making the actual gravy. Instead, I froze the de-fatted stock and will add the flour to make the actual gravy on Thanksgiving.

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Turkey Pot Pie with Cheddar Biscuits

Recipe adapted from Here
Printable Recipe

Filling:

4-6 cups low or no-sodium chicken stock
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large parsnip (peeled), cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or a potato can be substituted)
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound baby portabella mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups roast turkey meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (can use meat from making do-ahead gravy)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen baby peas, thawed

For cheddar biscuit crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk

1. Make the filling: Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the carrots, parsnips, and celery and simmer uncovered until the vegetables are just tender, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, reserving the broth, and add the turkey to the bowl. Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated until ready to use. 

2. In another saucepan, cook the onion and mushrooms in the butter and olive oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of the reserved stock and whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking. Add the thyme and and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add the frozen peas and pour the sauce over the turkey mixture, and stir the mixture gently until it is just combined.

3. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart shallow baking dish or divide it among four 2-cup shallow baking dishes. (The filling may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Bring the mixture to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.)

4. Make the biscuit crust: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the cold butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles meal. Add the Parmesan and Cheddar and toss the mixture. Can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated until ready to bake the pot pies. 

5. Add the buttermilk and stir until a dough forms.

6. Preheat Oven to 450 F.

7. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture over the turkey filling.

8. Bake the pie in the middle of a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the biscuits are puffed and golden and the filling is bubbling.

Turkey Noodle Soup

The Thanksgiving bird made it's last bow today and rewarded us with a wonderful meal. Using the turkey bones that were left, I made turkey noodle soup. There is such wonderful flavor remaining in those bones!

I placed the turkey carcass in a large stock pot, breaking it up to fit. Using a large chef's knife to chop some of the larger bones in half releases the flavor of the marrow into the stock. The pot is then filled with water to cover the bones and then I added a large onion, a few stalks of celery with the leaves, one large carrot, a bay leaf, a bouquet garni of parsley and fresh thyme, salt and peppercorns and simmered it for about 2-1/2 hours.

After the initial simmer, I strained the stock twice and then added fresh vegetables to simmer until tender. Egg noodles were added during the last 8 minutes and finally a good helping of leftover cubed turkey breast meat tossed in to heat. A little sprinkle of fresh parsley...and a loaf of freshly baked artisan bread, made for a perfect Sunday dinner break as we put up some Christmas decorations!


Turkey (Carcass) Noodle Soup
Printable Recipe

1 turkey carcass from your holiday bird, with most of the meat and skin removed
1 whole onion - unpeeled and halved (this will give your soup a rich color and flavor)
1 carrot, scraped and cut into fourths
3 stalks of celery with a bunch of the celery leaves from the center of the celery stalk
1 large bay leaf
A few sprigs of fresh parsley
A sprig or two of fresh thyme
2 teaspoons salt
A good sprinkle of whole peppercorns - I don't measure but about 20

Fresh vegetables for the finished stock such as:
1 cup of diced carrots,
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of diced onion

1 12-oz bag of wide egg noodles
1-2 cups of cubed turkey meat
Chopped parsley for garnish

Place the turkey carcass in a large stock pot and add enough cold water to cover. Add the next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 2-1/2 hours. After the first hour, I put the lid on the pot leaving an opening on one side. Strain the bones and vegetables from the liquid and discard putting the liquid back into the stock pot.

Add the fresh vegetables and simmer until softened, about 20 minutes. Turn the heat up to a low boil and add the egg noodles and cook as long as the package indicates. Add the cubed turkey meat and chopped parsley. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary.

Roasted Turkey with My Mother's Turkey Stuffing ~ Traditions

Another wonderful Thanksgiving to remember! The table was small and intimate this year. We had fun playing our customary Thanksgiving Trivia. You'd think we would have all them all memorized by now but honestly, could you remember when the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact?

Just a few days before Thanksgiving, we couldn't believe our eyes as these walked through our yard...

I know everyone has their favorite dressing or stuffing.  Some make it separately and others, like me, place it inside the bird, stuffing both the body cavity and the neck cavity.

The picture above shows the neck cavity on the right.  There is a large flap of skin that covers the neck cavity.  I place the bird upside-down and fill this area, securing the skin over the dressing with metal poultry lacers. 

New cooks might be afraid to put the stuffing in the cavity of the bird because it does takes longer to cook the turkey, and also, because of the warnings about stuffing not being cooked through or possible food poisoning if left inside the bird.  Just be sure to remove the stuffing as soon as possible and cook the turkey for the recommended time.  Do not pull the turkey out of the oven to baste it too often as you will cool down the oven and prolong the roasting time. Also, you can use an instant-read meat thermometer to test if the bird is cooked. Plan ahead. If your turkey is done a little early, it can always be reheated in the oven after the stuffing is removed.   The 'Norman Rockwell' moment is highly overrated :)  If I'm having a large group for Thanksgiving, I have even prepared the turkey the day before, carve it and place it in a covered pyrex serving dish overnight and reheat in the oven, covered with foil, adding a half cup of turkey stock to keep it moist.


Two more of my family's traditional recipes that wouldn't be Thanksgiving without are my Brussels Sprout Souffle and my Cranberry and Dried Cherry Relish.

 
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My Mother's Turkey Stuffing

Printable Recipe

My mother made this stuffing for as long as I can remember and was given to her by a Danish relative.  Every Thanksgiving, when I taste her stuffing, I think of her and all of the wonderful Thanksgivings we had together and those that my family will share in the future. From Danish origins, the recipe originally included ground pork.  This makes enough to stuff a 15-20 pound turkey.  If your turkey is smaller, you can bake the rest of the stuffing in covered casserole dish. 

1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 large apple, unpeeled, and quartered
4 stalks celery, cut into 2" pieces
6-8 cups of dried bread cubes (I use 1-1/2 bags of Sage and Onion Seasoned Croutons)
1/2 pound lean ground beef (I use ground sirloin)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried sage
2 large eggs
1/2 cup water

In a food processor or by hand, coarsely chop onion, apple and celery.  In a very large mixing bowl, add croutons and chopped onion, apple and celery.  Add the ground beef and seasonings and mix well by hand until ground beef is well incorporated.  In a small bowl, whisk eggs and water.  Add to crouton mixture and mix again until everything is well moistened with egg and water. 

Turn the turkey on its breast and loosely stuff the the neck cavity, pulling the neck skin over the stuffing and fasten the skin to the back of the bird with skewers or extra-large safety pins (being careful to remove them after the turkey is done!).  Turn the turkey on its back and loosely stuff the main cavity.  (If you have more stuffing than will fit inside the turkey, place the excess in an ovenproof dish, cover with giblets, neck or other excess turkey parts, cover with foil and roast seperately for one hour).

Roast the turkey for the required amount of time depending on the size of the bird.  A 14 pound stuffed bird takes approximately 4 to 4-1/2 hours in a 350 degree oven. 

Note - remove stuffing from turkey immediately after roasting to prevent possible bacteria formation.