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Hadn’t planned on hosting this year? Don’t let that stop you because there’s still time to cook and put together a fantastic, last-minute meal. This easy stuffed turkey recipe makes the most of turkey and its trimmings, so you won’t have to run outside to buy a lot of stuff. The combination of pork meat, bacon fat and chestnuts makes an incredibly flavorful stuffing, that stands for a side dish on its own. If you attend a smaller gathering, just use turkey breasts and roast the stuffing separately.
Ingredient list for the Turkey with Chestnuts
- 6 1/2 lbs (3kg) turkey
- 14 ounces (400g) bacon fat
- 10 ounces (300g) pork tenderloin
- 7 ounces (200g) peeled chestnuts
- 3 tablespoons (5cl) cognac
- Chopped shallots (2 units)
- Thyme and spices
For the filling:
- 3 apples
- Celery salt
- Butter
- Peanut oil
- Cooked chestnuts
Cooking instructions
1. Cut the offals — gizzard, heart, lungs, liver — for later use in the preparation.
2. Prepare the filling by combining oil, shallots and spices into a sauce pan. Flame with the brandy and set aside.
3. Combine the pieces of bacon fat, offals, onions and spices in a large bowl.
4. Finalize the stuffing by adding cubed pork tenderloin and cooked chestnuts, stir well so as to have an homogeneous mixture.
5. Finally, stuff the turkey, rub the skin with butter and oil, and put into the oven at 360°F/180°C. To homogenize the cooking, it is recommended to return the turkey after about 20 minutes. The average time for cooking this recipe is 10 minutes per pound of meat.
6. Serve the turkey in an oval rimmed flat, surrounded by chestnuts and potatoes.
(Photo : © Laurence Dutilly/Ph. Vaurès Santamaria )
