Roast turkey with chestnuts and mushrooms

The recipes for roast chicken or roast turkey are, without a doubt, some of the easiest to prepare and the most impressive when presented at the table. It's as simple as placing the main piece in the pot accompanied by those elements that will give it flavor (herbs and spices), a good drizzle of oil and, from there, the oven will do all the work.

Today's recipe takes on an autumnal touch by pairing the turkey with chestnuts and mushrooms. What we'll do, to give it a slightly different twist, is caramelize that accompaniment before placing it in the casserole. A very simple step that will help it take on a special touch.

I hope this recipe accompanies your family on Sundays or holidays. All the diners will smile when you bring the result to the table.

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)

• A turkey of 3 to 4Kg (you can also make it with chicken)
• 2 fresh sprigs of thyme, sage and rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2-3 large knobs of butter
• 3 onions
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 100gr of bacon (pancetta) cut into small cubes
• 250gr of mushrooms halved
• 400gr of peeled chestnuts
• Salt and pepper, and Espelette pepper (optional)

Cocotte ovalada Le Creuset, Le Creuset mills and Le Creuset Damascus steel knives

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2. Stuff the turkey with the sprigs of thyme, sage and rosemary, the bay leaves and the garlic. Add salt and pepper inside.
3. Add the butter in the cast iron casserole, and place the turkey in it. Season it on the outside with salt and pepper and add the oil to the casserole, also basting the turkey as you go.
4. Place more garlic around the turkey and more rosemary and bay leaves if you like, it will be more aromatic.
5. Place the casserole in the oven for approximately 1 hour to 1 hour and a half, without the lid. Throughout cooking, you can baste the turkey with its own juices using a spoon.
6. In a cast-iron skillet, put the onion, the bacon cut into small cubes, the olive oil and the sugar to caramelize for three minutes. After three minutes have passed, add the seasoned chestnuts and mushrooms and stir to mix well.
7. Next, add that mixture around the turkey and leave it in the oven for another 30 minutes, also without the casserole lid.

Notes

• We used turkey but you can follow the recipe exactly the same using chicken, either whole or cut into quarters.
• If you use a whole chicken or turkey, it is advisable to use a oval casserole, it has the perfect shape for it. If cutting it into quarters, you can use a round casserole.
• You can substitute the use of butter, but be generous with the oil, it will roast better, tastier and tender (without it it will also be drier).