Stuffed Turkey for Christmas

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 stalk Celery
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs sage
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 150 g whole grain toast
• 20 g butter
• 50 ml Milk (3.5% fat)
• 1 egg
• Salt
• coarsely ground pepper
• nutmeg
• ground allspice
• 3.5 kg turkey
• 50 g dried cherries
• 100 g prunes
• 50 g dried cranberries
• 3 tbsp clarified butter
• 5 collard green leaves

Instructions

1. 1.

   For the bread stuffing, peel and finely chop the onion and celery. Wash and dry the herbs, then chop them. Dice the whole grain toast and brown it in a pan with hot butter. Let cool, then drizzle with milk and mix in the celery, onions, and herbs. Add the egg and quickly knead into a coarse mixture. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice.

2. 2.

   Wash the turkey. Rub the inside and outside with salt and pepper, then fill it with the bread mixture. For the fruit filling, combine cherries, prunes, and cranberries and season with pepper. Press the bread mixture flat into the turkey with a spoon and top with the fruit filling.

3. 3.

   Tie the turkey with kitchen twine and truss it. Heat clarified butter in a large roasting pan. Sear the turkey over high heat all around, then place the breast side up on the lower rack of a preheated oven at 175 °C (fan 150 °C; gas: level 2). Pour 300–400 ml hot water into the pan and roast for about 2½ hours. Baste occasionally with the roasting juices and add more water if needed. Flip the turkey, baste again, and roast for an additional 2 hours.

4. 4.

   Blanch collard green leaves in boiling salted water, then shock them in cold water and drain. Wrap the finished turkey in aluminum foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve on top of the collard greens.