Recipes

Turkey with Sauerkraut, Riesling, and Pork Sausages

  • Serves

    serves 10-12

TODD COLEMAN

Braised with wine, sauerkraut, apples, and onions, this turkey comes out incredibly moist and aromatic.

What You Will Need

Ingredients

  • 12 juniper berries
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 6 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 cup rendered duck fat
  • 3 onions, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3 cups riesling
  • 1 lb. smoked slab bacon, cut into 3 ⁄4" strips
  • 4 lb. raw sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, julienned
  • 1 (10–12-lb.) turkey
  • 12-14 strips thin-sliced bacon
  • 6 knackwurst
  • 6 bauernwurst
  • 16 small new potatoes, peeled
  • Dijon mustard, for serving

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oven to 350°. Wrap juniper berries, garlic, parsley, thyme, cloves, and bay leaves in a piece of cheese- cloth; tie ends with twine; set aside. Heat duck fat in an 8-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 18–20 minutes. Add wine and 1⁄2 cup water; boil for 2 minutes; transfer to a large roasting pan with spice bundle.

Step 2

Arrange sliced slab bacon evenly over onions. Combine sauerkraut and apples in a bowl; transfer 3⁄4 of sauerkraut mixture over onion mixture. Season turkey with salt and pepper and stuff with remaining sauerkraut mixture. Drape thin-sliced bacon over top of turkey; secure with tooth-picks. Put turkey on top of sauerkraut in roasting pan. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Crimp foil tightly around edges of pan. Roast turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into deepest part of thigh reads 160°, about 3 hours. Transfer turkey to a cutting board; let rest for 20 minutes. Remove bacon and skin.

Step 3

While turkey rests, bring a 5-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add sausages, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausages to a large serving platter. Add potatoes to pot and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to platter. Carve turkey and arrange slices on platter. Serve with mustard.

Watch How to Carve a Turkey

Pairing note: Dr. Konstantin Frank Semi Dry Riesling 2009 ($15), from New York's Finger Lakes, is an aromatic match for this fragrant dish.

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