Oma’s Stuffed Thanksgiving Turkey - Gefüllter Truthahn mit Äpfeln und Kastanien
Instructions:
THAWING TIME: If you’re bringing home a frozen turkey, you need to consider the time it takes for it to properly thaw. You have two choices in this regard. One, store it in the refrigerator—which will take days to defrost. Or, two, place your turkey in a large container of cold water—which will take hours. Have a look at your options below.
Size: Refrigerator: Cold Water:
10–18 lbs. 3–4 days 5–9 hours
18–22 lbs. 4–5 days 9–11 hours
22–24 lbs. 5–6 days 11–12 hours
24–30 lbs. 6–7 days 12–15 hours
(NOTE: Once your turkey has thawed, be sure to remove the giblets. They’re usually inside the turkey, wrapped in paper.)
COOKING TIME: For a single stuffed turkey, approximately 5.4 kg (12 lbs), plan on about 4 ½ hours hours in a pre-heated oven.
MEASUREMENTS: Recipes below based on a 12–16 lbs turkey.
Ingredients for the stuffing:
- 2 tablespoons of shortening
- 3 diced shallots
- 300g (10.5 oz) ground beef—not too lean
- 500 g (17.6 oz) chestnuts in can
- 2 apples—diced
- 2 slices of white bread—diced
- 100 g (3.5 oz) celery knob—diced
- 1 bundle of fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon of fresh-cut thyme
- 2 tablespoons of English double cream (OR) crème fraiche
Stuffing preparation:
Dice the shallots, chestnuts, celery, apple, and bread. Melt the shortening in a pan. Fry the shallots until they are transparent and then add the ground beef until it’s completely cooked and crumbly. Now, add the rest of your diced ingredients (chestnuts, celery, apple, and bread) and stir fry. Add thyme and parsley, some salt and pepper, and thicken the mixture with the English double cream or crème fraiche.
(NOTE: If you want to add the turkey liver to this recipe, just add it when you first melt the shortening in the pan. Cook fully, remove, and set aside before adding the ground beef. Once the ground beef is browned, add the cooked turkey—along with the other diced ingredients and stir fry.)
Prepare the Turkey and Gravy:
Rinse your turkey. Have it sit in the sink filled with cold water for a little while. Before you’re ready to prepare your turkey, be sure to dry it (inside and out) with a paper towel.
Ingredients:
- 0.94 l (32 z) of chicken broth
- 4 slices of bacon—not-so lean
- 3 big carrots
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 large onions
- 3 stems of thyme
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream
- 1 orange—freshly squeezed
- Sunflower oil
- Marjoram Leaves
- Salt & pepper
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1 bottle of beer
Materials:
- Toothpicks
- Thread and needle
After drying your turkey with a paper towel, rub a mixture of salt and pepper mixture on the inside and outside. Wrap the bacon around the wings and legs and stabilize it with toothpicks. (See pic 1.) Fill your stuffing into the opening (pic 2) and sew it closed with your needle and thread and (pic 3). Place the turkey into your pan. Add the chicken broth to it, as well as the sliced carrots cut, chopped onions, stems of Thyme, and cut celery (pic 4).
Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F) and cook the turkey as follows:
Place your turkey on the first rack uncovered and roast it for about 30 minutes uncovered by 220°C (425°F).
Turn heat down to 180°C (360°F) cover turkey with aluminum foil and let it cook for another 3 ½ hours.
NOTE: Baste the turkey all around from time to time with the chicken broth!
After having the turkey for 4 hours in the oven, turn the heat back up to 220°C (425°F) and uncover the turkey and place it on the middle rack for an additional 30 minutes.
NOTE: After you placed the turkey on the middle roast, pour half of the bottle of beer over the turkey. Add the other half of beer about 15 minutes later.
When cooking time is complete, remove the turkey from the pan and immediately brush it with sunflower oil and sprinkle marjoram leaves over it while it cools down—prior to it being carved.
Prepare your gravy:
Collect the vegetables and remaining liquid from the pan and pass it through a sieve or food mill. Next, place it a pot and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and add the juice of one orange along with 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Mix well and add two tablespoons of corn starch (or potato starch) with about 3 tablespoons of water to thicken. Bring it to boil again and you are DONE and ready to serve. Enjoy with your family.
