Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Prepare the turkey

   40 min

   Thaw the frozen turkey in the refrigerator; a 4.5 kg turkey takes about three days. Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity, pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Make the chestnut stuffing

   20 min

   Cut the bread rolls into cubes and pour the milk over them. Finely chop the onion and sauté in the butter until softened. Coarsely chop the chestnuts. Add the onion, chestnuts, eggs, parsley, marjoram, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the bread rolls and mix to make a moist stuffing.

3. Stuff the turkey

   15 min

   Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Loosely fill the turkey cavity with stuffing without packing it down, as it will expand during roasting. Place the remaining stuffing in a greased baking dish. Secure the cavity opening with a skewer and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Mix the butter with the salt, pepper, and thyme, then rub it all over the turkey.

4. Roast the turkey

   3 hr 30 min

   Place the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan, pour in the water, cover with aluminum foil, and roast at 170°C (340°F) for 3–3.5 hours. Baste with the pan juices about every 45 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 40 minutes to brown the skin. Add the dish of remaining stuffing to the oven for the last 45 minutes.

5. Check the temperature

   Check that a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, without touching bone, reads at least 74°C (165°F), and that the center of the stuffing reaches the same temperature. The juices should run clear, not pink, when the thigh is pierced.

6. Rest and carve

   20 min

   Let the roasted turkey rest for 20 minutes, covered with aluminum foil. Then remove the stuffing and carve the meat. Serve with the stuffing and pan juices, accompanied by braised red cabbage or potatoes.

Tip: Vacuum-packed cooked, peeled chestnuts require the least work. For fresh chestnuts, cut an X in the shells, boil for about 20 minutes, and peel while still warm.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Pečená morka s gaštanovou plnkou