Recipe courtesy of Lynn Crawford
Hot Turkey Dinner: Heritage Turkey Leg Confit with Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes, Baby Carrots and Sweet Peas
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 12 hr 30 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Inactive: 8 hr
- Cook: 4 hr
Ingredients
Turkey Leg Confit:
Four 12-ounce heritage turkey legs, each cut into 2 pieces (thigh and drumstick)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
4 dried bay leaves
4 cups kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
8 cups olive oil
Baby Carrots and Sweet Peas:
8 ounces baby carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-dice
1/2 cup sweet peas
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes, for serving, recipe follows
Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes:
2 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- For the turkey: Pat the turkey legs dry with paper towels. Transfer the turkey to a baking sheet.
- In a spice grinder, finely grind the thyme, sage and bay leaves. Rub the turkey with the herbs and sprinkle generously with the salt and pepper. Chill overnight, uncovered.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over low heat to 170 degrees. Transfer the turkey to a 13-by-16-by-3-inch roasting pan. Pour the olive oil over the turkey. Cover the pan with foil and bake until the turkey is very tender, about 3 hours.
- Let cool. Remove the skin and tendons. Reserve the meat and keep warm.
- For the carrots and peas: In a large skillet, add the carrots and 1/4 cup water. Simmer over medium heat until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the peas and increase the heat to high. Cook until the peas are crisp-tender and the liquid is reduced to about 1 teaspoon, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the orange juice, butter and sugar, swirling the skillet to coat the carrots and peas. Cook until the liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a shallow baking pan with foil.
- Prick each potato twice with a fork and bake in the prepared pan in the lower third of the oven until very tender, about 1 hour. Remove and cool slightly.
- Warm the heavy cream. Halve the potatoes lengthwise and scoop out the warm flesh into a large bowl. Mash the potatoes and stir in the cream, butter and syrup. Season with salt and pepper.