Stuffed Christmas Turkey

Method

1. To make the Christmas turkey, start with the stuffing: cut the mortadella into small pieces, remove the casings from the sausages, and boil the chestnuts in a pot of water for about 15 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the ground veal, the ground beef, the coarsely chopped sausages, and the diced mortadella.
2. Add the eggs and a generous amount of grated Parmigiano, then mix everything with your hands or a spoon until the mixture is firm and evenly combined. Using a mezzaluna, finely chop the rosemary sprigs, sage leaves, onion, and parsley, then add this mixture to the ground meat.
3. Carefully peel the chestnuts, cut them into small pieces, and add them to the mixture in the bowl as well. Add some breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add a sprinkle of nutmeg for even more flavor. Finally, stir the stuffing so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
   
4. Oil and salt the inside of the turkey well, then fill it with the stuffing you just made, taking care not to overfill it: this way it won’t spill out during cooking, since the meat tends to shrink. When you’re done, sew the turkey closed with kitchen twine and a needle, making sure to tie the legs and wings to the body. Finally, cover any protruding bones with aluminum foil so they don’t burn during cooking.
   
5. Oil and butter a baking dish that isn’t too large, place the turkey in it, brush it with plenty of melted butter, and season with salt to taste. Preheat the oven. The turkey needs to cook for about 4 hours in total: roast it at 200 °C (400 °F) for the first half hour, then lower the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and keep cooking, remembering to baste the meat every 45 minutes with dry white wine or vegetable broth so it doesn’t dry out and stays especially tender. If you notice the turkey is browning too much, cover it with aluminum foil for the last hour of cooking.    
   
6. Once out of the oven, wait a few minutes before carving: start by removing one of the legs, which makes it easier to cut slices with the stuffing. Then serve your stuffed Christmas turkey. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!