The turkey is cleaned with great care, ensuring that all remaining feathers are removed and the tips and spurs of the wings are cut off. Then, it is placed in a large pot, deep enough to completely submerge it in marinade. Choosing the herbs is a crucial step in preparing this dish, and the combination of herbs will profoundly influence the flavor of the meat. An excellent selection might include thyme, rosemary, sage, and dill. These herbs are finely crushed and mixed with salt, pepper, crushed garlic, sweet or smoked paprika, and, if desired, a little dried onion. The resulting mixture is added to four liters of milk, creating a rich and thick marinade. We pour this brine over the turkey in the pot, ensuring it is completely covered, then cover the pot with a lid and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours.
Before removing the turkey from the marinade, we prepare for its stuffing. We take the chestnuts, wash them well, and score them with a knife in 2 or 3 places, being careful not to cut ourselves. This scoring is important as it allows steam to escape during roasting. The chestnuts are placed in a tray covered with water and left to soak for 10-15 minutes. After draining the water, they are placed in the oven at a medium temperature for about 20-30 minutes, until the shell starts to crack slightly. Upon removing them from the oven, we prepare a damp towel to immediately cover them, making subsequent peeling easier.
After a few minutes of steaming in the towel, the chestnuts peel much more easily. Once peeled, they are finely chopped or processed in a food processor to achieve a fine consistency. While the chestnuts are roasting, we melt butter in a pan, adding minced pork, which we fry well, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and, if desired, nutmeg. Once the meat is cooked, we mix it with the roasted chestnuts and grind a little more to obtain a homogeneous filling.
This filling is carefully introduced into the turkey skin, gently opening it in the breast area to create a generous space. Finally, we sew the skin to prevent the filling from leaking into the tray during roasting. In a large tray, we add lard or olive oil to the bottom and place the turkey. We cover it with aluminum foil or parchment paper and put it in the oven. A turkey of this size will require between 2.5 and 3 hours of cooking. When it is almost done, we remove the foil and baste the turkey with the sauce from the tray, allowing it to brown for a few minutes. It is important to keep a close eye on it, as it can brown too quickly.
After the turkey is perfectly browned, we remove it to a platter and decorate it nicely, according to preferences. We serve the turkey with cranberry or cherry sauce, a horseradish sauce, or a béchamel sauce made from the liquid drained from the tray in which it was roasted. This dish will surely bring joy to the festive table, being not only tasty but also a true visual feast.
Before removing the turkey from the marinade, we prepare for its stuffing. We take the chestnuts, wash them well, and score them with a knife in 2 or 3 places, being careful not to cut ourselves. This scoring is important as it allows steam to escape during roasting. The chestnuts are placed in a tray covered with water and left to soak for 10-15 minutes. After draining the water, they are placed in the oven at a medium temperature for about 20-30 minutes, until the shell starts to crack slightly. Upon removing them from the oven, we prepare a damp towel to immediately cover them, making subsequent peeling easier.
After a few minutes of steaming in the towel, the chestnuts peel much more easily. Once peeled, they are finely chopped or processed in a food processor to achieve a fine consistency. While the chestnuts are roasting, we melt butter in a pan, adding minced pork, which we fry well, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and, if desired, nutmeg. Once the meat is cooked, we mix it with the roasted chestnuts and grind a little more to obtain a homogeneous filling.
This filling is carefully introduced into the turkey skin, gently opening it in the breast area to create a generous space. Finally, we sew the skin to prevent the filling from leaking into the tray during roasting. In a large tray, we add lard or olive oil to the bottom and place the turkey. We cover it with aluminum foil or parchment paper and put it in the oven. A turkey of this size will require between 2.5 and 3 hours of cooking. When it is almost done, we remove the foil and baste the turkey with the sauce from the tray, allowing it to brown for a few minutes. It is important to keep a close eye on it, as it can brown too quickly.
After the turkey is perfectly browned, we remove it to a platter and decorate it nicely, according to preferences. We serve the turkey with cranberry or cherry sauce, a horseradish sauce, or a béchamel sauce made from the liquid drained from the tray in which it was roasted. This dish will surely bring joy to the festive table, being not only tasty but also a true visual feast.
Ingredients
1 turkey (mine weighed 5 kg) 150 g minced pork 500 g chestnuts in shell 100 g butter pepper, salt, paprika to taste 5-7 cloves of garlic nutmeg (optional) potato (optional) 4 l of milk herbs of your choice lard white wine 150 ml