A whole roast turkey is classic and delicious. But for a true showstopping Thanksgiving feast, prepare our two genius recipes for white meat and dark meat and serve these instead. For the white meat, our Porchetta-Style Turkey Breast, a.k.a. turchetta, is a gorgeous preparation that takes its name, shape, and seasonings from the iconic Italian pork roast called porchetta. For the dark meat, our Turkey Thigh Confit with Citrus Mustard Sauce produces the most succulent and deeply flavorful turkey you’ve ever tasted, and it’s remarkably easy to prepare. Together, these deluxe recipes will feed 12 to 16 guests, and each can largely be prepared in advance.
Combine These Two Recipes for the Ultimate Turkey Feast
Published Nov. 2, 2021.
How to Make Porchetta-Style Turkey Breast
In this preparation, mild-mannered breast is wrapped around a gutsy herb paste that adds so much flavor, you can cross gravy off of your to-do list. Almost all the hands-on work of assembling the roast happens up front, and you can do this up to 2 days ahead. Then, on turkey day, all you need to do is cook the turchetta in a low oven and then briefly blast it over high heat to bronze the skin.
Porchetta-Style Turkey Breast
Treat turkey the way Italians do pork, and you’ll be rewarded with a stunning, robustly seasoned, entertaining-friendly holiday roast (plus awesome leftovers).Sign up for the Cook's Insider newsletter
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How to Make Turkey Thigh Confit with Citrus Mustard Sauce
For dark meat lovers, it doesn’t get any better than these dense, silky thighs and their concentrated savory flavor—plus making them takes very little effort. Simply process onion, salt, pepper, sugar, and thyme in a food processor, then coat the thighs in this paste and let them cure for at least four days. As the thighs sit, the salt, sugar, and some water-soluble compounds in the aromatics gave the turkey a deeply savory flavor. Next, rinse away the cure and oven-poach the thighs in rich duck fat until they are tender, at which point they can be refrigerated for up to six days. When it’s time to serve, brown the thighs quickly in a hot oven (you can do this while the porchetta-style breast is resting) and then serve them with our bright and tangy citrus-mustard sauce.
Confit at a Glance
1. CURE
Salt turkey (along with aromatics) for 4 to 6 days.
2. COOK
Oven-poach turkey in fat for 4 to 5 hours.
3. HOLD
Refrigerate for up to 6 days. (This step can be skipped.)
4. BROWN
Warm through on stovetop, then brown in hot oven.