Turkey Leg Confit With Shallots And Thyme Recipes

SHALLOT AND THYME-RUBBED ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Position oven rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350F. Place shallots, garlic and thyme sprigs in a small ovenproof baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Cover dish with foil and bake until shallots are very tender but not brown, about one hour. Uncover and cool 30 minutes.
• Place garlic, half of shallots and oil in work bowl of a food processor. Add chopped thyme, mustard, salt and pepper. Process until almost smooth. Transfer paste to a small bowl. Shallot paste can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to four days.
• Rinse turkey inside and out with cold running water and pat dry. Starting at the neck end, carefully slide your hand between the turkey's skin and breast to loosen skin. Spread a half cup of shallot paste under skin and over breast meat. Tuck wings underneath the body of the turkey and tie legs together loosely with kitchen twine or dental floss so the turkey will hold its shape. Place turkey on a small wire rack set inside a large roasting pan. Spread a half cup of shallot paste all over the outside of the turkey neck, gizzard and heart and place onion, celery and thyme sprigs in the pan around turkey.
• Bring a cup of the wine and two cups of the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Pour boiling liquid into bottom of roasting pan. Cover breast loosely with foil and place turkey in oven. Roast for one and a half hours. Add a cup of the broth and a cup of wine to the pan and roast turkey another 30 minutes. Remove foil and add a cup broth to pan.
• Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 degrees F, another one to one and a half hours. During roasting, cover exposed parts of turkey with foil as needed to prevent over-browning and add more broth if pan juices evaporate.
• Remove turkey from oven and transfer to a platter. Tent turkey loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes - its internal temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees. Reserving drippings and discard neck, gizzard and heart. Place turkey on a serving platter, carve and serve with gravy.

CONFIT TURKEY WITH CHILES AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, black pepper, and 2 Tbsp. kosher salt in a small bowl. Place turkey legs in a baking dish just big enough to fit them or a medium Dutch oven. Sprinkle all over with brown sugar mixture and scatter smashed garlic cloves around. Let sit at room temperature at least 2 hours, or chill up to 12 hours (more time makes a big difference).
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 275°F. Cut heads of garlic heads in half crosswise. Nestle around turkey legs along with chiles and oregano sprigs. Pour in oil until turkey is mostly if not completely submerged (shove chiles down since they can burn if above the surface of the oil). You may need a bit more oil depending on your pot and size of turkey legs; don't worry, this oil can be reused in all kinds of ways so it won't go to waste!
• Braise turkey, uncovered, until meat has shrunk away from drumsticks dramatically and meat shreds easily with firm pressure, 3-4 hours (a few bubbles is okay, but anything above a lazy simmer and you should reduce the heat). Let meat rest, still submerged in fat, at least 1 hour.
• Pick out chiles from braising oil with tongs and place in a blender; add red pepper flakes and 1 cup braising oil. Let cool slightly, then blend until chiles are coarsely chopped. Add almonds and pulse until largest pieces are no bigger than a red pepper flake. Add sesame seeds and pulse just to combine. Season with remaining ¼ tsp. salt and add more red pepper flakes if desired.
• If eating right away, heat 2 Tbsp. braising oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook turkey legs, carefully turning with 2 pairs of tongs, until brown and crisp all over, 8-10 minutes. Serve with the almond-chile sauce.
• Don't discard the braising oil or the juices below: Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof container. Skim off fat to use for roasting potatoes, or your next confit project. Use juices in another braise, or stir into a pot of beans.
• Do ahead: Turkey can be braised 4 days ahead. Let cool, cover and chill (still in oil). Reheat, uncovered, in a 275°F oven until warmed through, about 40 minutes, before browning.

TURKEY CONFIT CLUB SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the turkey:
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Sprinkle the turkey breast liberally with salt and pepper. Rub with the brown sugar and chopped thyme. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast in the oven until the meat has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, 4 to 5 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before opening and slicing.
• For the confit:
• Lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees F. Warm the duck fat in a large pan big enough to hold the legs and thighs. Rub the legs and thighs with salt, and then submerge in the duck fat. Add a sachet of the thyme and the bay leaves to the fat. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until the meat is tender and pulls away effortlessly with a fork, 6 to 8 hours. Remove and let cool in the duck fat overnight.
• Gently warm the turkey confit, just enough to remove the turkey from the fat. Shred the meat into pieces and toss with a little bit of the reserved fat. Reserve some more of the fat for assembling the sandwiches.
• Press the confit into a baking dish or small baking tray in a single 1/2-inch layer. Lay plastic wrap over the tray directly touching the confit, and place another tray on top. Add a few cans or weights to press it down and let it sit overnight.
• Unwrap the confit and cut 1 square per sandwich about the same size as the bread slices. Toast the bread, and then slice the turkey breast very thinly across the grain.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of duck fat in a nonstick pan over medium heat until hot. Place the squares of confit in the pan and fry until brown and crisp on both sides. Spread mayonnaise evenly over the bread slices. For each sandwich, place the confit on one slice and top with another piece of bread. Add 4 slices bacon, some tomato, turkey breast and lettuce. Top with last piece of bread and serve.