Farcie Dinte Rôtie aux Marrons et aux Pommes (Stuffed Roast Turkey with Chestnuts and Apples)
Farcie Dinte Rôtie aux Marrons et aux Pommes (Stuffed Roast Turkey with Chestnuts and Apples) is a traditional French recipe for a classic dish of roast turkey with pork stuffing that's served garnished with apples and chestnuts and which is typically served for the Christmas or New Year meal. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic French version of: Stuffed Roast Turkey with Chestnuts and Apples (Farcie Dinte Rôtie aux Marrons et aux Pommes).
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Ingredients:
1 turkey (about 2.5 to 3kg) with giblets and trimmings
For the Stuffing:
400g pork belly
300g pork fillet, diced
turkey giblets and trimmings, roughly chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
leaves from small bunch of thyme
salt, freshly ground black pepper and mixed spice, to taste
50ml brandy
butter and groundnut oil
For the Garnish:
2 apples
400g chestnuts, baked and peeled
celery salt
Method:
Heat about 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil in a deep frying or saute pan. When hot add the turkey liver and quickly fry for 1 minute before adding the shallots. Sweat these gently for 2 minutes then stir in the thyme leaves and season with salt and black pepper. Take off the heat, pour in the brandy then set alight and flambé.
Once the flames have died down turn onto a plate and set aside to cool. In the meantime, combine the remaining giblets (do not add the neck and trimmings) and the pork belly in a food processor and coarsely blitz together. Add the cooled liver and shallot mix and blitz again to combine. Season well then incorporate the diced pork fillet. Now add 100g of the chestnuts and blitz gently, so that the ingredients mix well, but the chestnuts do not break up too much.
Use this stuffing to stuff the neck and body cavity of your turkey then close the openings with wooden cocktail sticks. Place the bird (sitting on its side) in a cast iron casserole with about 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp groundnut oil that's just large enough to hold it then chop the bird trimmings (neck, wing tips, feet etc) and arrange these in the dish, around the bird. Cover with a tight-fitting lid then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and cook for 20 minutes. After this time, turn the turkey onto its other side then return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Once this time is up, turn the turkey onto its breast and cook for a further 20 minutes. Now turn the turkey onto its back and return to the oven. Continue cooking for 40 minutes further, or until the turkey is cooked through. During the cooking time baste with the pan juices every 10 minutes or so, to ensure the bird is moist. Remove the lid for the final 20 minutes of cooking, to ensure the bird colours nicely. Also remove 3/4 of the fat from the pan and replace with water (this will make your jus).
Remove the turkey from the casserole and sit on a carving block. Cover with foil and set aside to rest for 20 minutes. Strain the pan juices into a bowl and set aside.
In the meantime, peel the apples and use a melon baller to scoop out balls from the flesh. Melt a little butter in a pan, add the apple balls and the chestnuts and fry gently until just heated through.
Skim the surface of the pan juices then strain into a sauce boat. Carve your turkey then remove the stuffing and slice this. Take an oval serving dish and overlap the slices of stuffing down the centre. Arrange the turkey meat around the outside of this then garnish the outside of the dish with the apple balls and chestnuts. Serve immediately, accompanied by the sauce.
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