Turkey with Chestnuts and Gruyère

Main Dishes | Romanian cuisine

⏳ Time

3 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Turkey with chestnuts and Gruyère

Ingredients

Turkey - 1 piece
Peeled chestnuts - 17.6 oz
Gruyère cheese - 7.1 oz
Milk - 17 fl oz
Spanish onions - 1 head
Garlic - 4 cloves
Dry White Wine - 1 qt
Bay leaf - 1 piece
Green peppercorns - 6 pieces
Thyme - 4 stalks
Salt - 1 tablespoon
Onion - 1 head
Celery salt - 1 stalk
Butter - 3.5 oz
Olive Oil - 3 fl oz
Balsamic Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
Brandy - 3 fl oz

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Place the cleaned turkey into a large, sturdy food storage bag. Pour in one liter of white wine, add a bay leaf, whole peppercorns, thyme, chopped celery and onion, salt, and crushed garlic cloves into the same bag.

Step 2

Tie the bag securely with a strong knot and shake it like a giant shaker. Then, place it in the refrigerator.

Step 3

After about twelve hours, you can remove the bag, drain the marinade into a separate container, and place the turkey in a bowl to let any excess liquid drain off. Then, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 12 hours.

Step 4

About four hours before you plan to serve the turkey at the festive table, preheat the oven to 392°F (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit), place the turkey in a deep roasting pan, and put it in the oven for one hour. After an hour, take it out, drizzle some marinade over it, and return it to the oven. Half an hour later, repeat the basting with the marinade. After another half hour, do it once more. Then, two hours later, put a pot on the stove with a mixture of salted water and milk in a 1:1 ratio. Once it boils, cook the peeled chestnuts for fifteen minutes.

Step 5

Remove the chestnuts from the heat, drain the broth, and mix the chestnuts with room temperature butter and grated cheese. These chestnuts should be used to stuff the turkey, after taking the turkey out of the oven.

Step 6

Place the stuffed turkey in the oven for fifteen minutes, then take it out again and drizzle it with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and cognac. Put it back in the oven for another thirty minutes (the time may vary depending on the oven's power and the size of the turkey, which can weigh up to 12 kg). After that, check if the meat is cooked: the juices from the incision should be clear, without any blood or discoloration. If everything is fine, remove the turkey from the oven and serve it with chestnuts from the cavity and green salads.