American turkey revisited by Joanna Kassem

For the brine and marinating the turkey:

1. In a large pot, pour 5 to 6 liters of water and add the onions, carrots, cinnamon sticks, salt, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and white pepper.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve the salt.
3. Turn off the heat and let cool. This preparation can be made the day before.
4. Wash and dry the turkey. Remove the bag found inside the turkey cavity when purchased (the bag contains the liver, heart, and neck).
5. Submerge the turkey in the cooled broth.
6. Let rest in the fridge for 24 hours.
7. The next day, remove the turkey and dry well. Discard the brine.

For the stuffing:

1. Sauté the leeks in duck fat until they are translucent and soft.
2. Add the bread, pepper, and thyme. Mix with the leeks until nicely golden.

For cooking the turkey:

1. Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius.
2. Place the turkey, neck, and liver in a deep rectangular baking dish.
3. Arrange the vegetables (shallots, peeled chestnuts, carrots, leeks) and herbs around the turkey.
4. Massage the turkey well with the duck fat, trying to also spread it between the skin and the flesh.
5. Stuff the turkey cavity with the leek-bread mixture and tie the turkey legs together.
6. Cover the turkey with aluminum foil.
7. Bake at 180° Celsius for 4 hours... Baste with the cooking juices every 30 minutes.

For the sauce:

1. Remove the cooked turkey and the chestnuts from the dish. Set aside.
2. Strain the liquid-vegetable mixture from the bottom of the pan through a sieve.
3. Crush the vegetables to extract all their juice.
4. Heat the sauce with the chestnuts for 15 minutes, blend, season with salt and pepper if needed.

For side dishes, you can choose between sweet potato mash, roasted pumpkin with maple syrup and thyme, glazed baby carrots, broccoli, and chestnuts with cranberry sauce....