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Prep
Difficulty
Medium
Time
Estimate
over 1 hour
Make the polenta the day before or plan to use the tubes. Defrost the turkey ahead as well. Cut the polenta into chunks and roast at 375 while you prepare the turkey. When the turkey is ready to go in the oven, more the polenta chunks to the bottom rack if they still need more time to roast. Prepare the rest of the polenta stuffing and the salad ingredients while the turkey is roasting. When the turkey is resting, place the stuffing in the oven to finish cooking. Whip up the gravy. Carve the turkey and toss the salad.
Polenta is an exciting switch from the dried cubes of bread. Some of the polenta will crisp up, while the rest stays creamy lending a fabulous texture perfect to stuff into meat or as a tempting side. There is an option within the recipe to make the polenta from scratch.
An herb butter is used to moisten and flavor up whole roasted turkey. If you want leftovers, plan on two pounds of the bird for every guest.
What a lovely way to showcase both chestnuts and those sweet little cuties on a bed of spinach greens. Creamy yogurt dressing brings everything together. If you don’t have dates, use dried apricots or cranberries instead. Walnuts substitute nicely for the chestnuts if they are not available.
This is best with the drippings off of the bird- fat and all. While your turkey roasts, the innards can simmer. If you need space on your stove a crockpot set on high heat will help get the job done. If you want a tad extra flavor, add fresh herbs, garlic or onions to the simmering innards.
If you have a lot of drippings and broth from the innards, double the roux to prepare more. If you want a thicker gravy, double the roux again.
