TURKEY BRAISED WITH CRANBERRIES

Turkey Braised With Cranberries image

Those who believe the best part of the Thanksgiving turkey is the day-after sandwiches with leftover cranberry sauce will welcome this recipe. It teams the relatively unappreciated drumsticks with the rarely used fresh cranberries to produce a dish of uncommon complexity.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Time 2h

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
3 turkey drumsticks
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium onions, or 1 large, peeled and sliced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded (or reserved for stock), caps sliced
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 cup stock or water, or more as needed
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 pound cranberries, rinsed

Steps:

Combine tablespoon of butter with oil in deep skillet or casserole large enough for turkey legs to fit comfortably. Turn heat to medium high; after a minute add garlic and thyme. Cook for a minute, add turkey legs. Brown on both sides (they will brown unevenly, because of their shape), sprinkling with salt and pepper, and stirring garlic so it does not burn. Remove turkey.
Add onion, mushrooms, sugar, pinch of salt, and some pepper, and cook; stir occasionally, and adjust heat so vegetables do not burn. When very soft, add 1 cup liquid, half the zest, and cranberries. Bring to boil, return turkey to pan; cover and adjust the heat for a steady simmer.
Cook about 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes and adding more liquid if necessary, until meat is very tender. Taste sauce, and add more salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary. Remove meat; if sauce is soupy, raise heat and reduce a little; stir in remaining butter. Carve meat as neatly as you can; serve on a bed of sauce, garnish with remaining orange zest.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 668, UnsaturatedFat 19 grams, Carbohydrate 42 grams, Fat 32 grams, Fiber 9 grams, Protein 57 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 1373 milligrams, Sugar 24 grams, TransFat 0 grams