Christmas is here and in a few weeks millions of families will gather around a table. Although in many houses the menu of Christmas dinners is repeated every year by tradition, many are the hosts who are looking for new recipes to surprise their guests. Today I bring you this proposal of roast turkey leg, an alternative to the traditional lamb or suckling pig, two of the most used meats on Christmas tables.
Turkey meat is lean, therefore very light and with a lower caloric intake than other heavier meats. So it can be a great option for families looking for a special dinner, but without neglecting the diet. In addition to the nutritional advantages, the turkey leg is cooked in a very short time, the recipe is very simple and that is ideal when you are waiting for guests and do not want to spend the day in the kitchen.
As an accompaniment, I have prepared some roasted sweet potato slices with some spices. The sweet potato provides a touch of sweetness ideal for this dish, although if you prefer, you can accompany the meat with potatoes.
- 2 turkey legs
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic
- Fresh parsley
- Thyme
- Provencal herbs
- 2 large or 3 small sweet potatoes
- 1 glass of white wine
- extra virgin olive oil
- shawl
- pepper
- Before we start, we preheat the oven to about 200 degrees.
- We clean the meat of possible feathers and wash under running cold water and dry well with absorbent paper.
- Prepare the herbs, ground pepper, parsley, thyme and Provencal herbs on a plate along with a drizzle of olive oil.
- With a kitchen brush, we paint the turkey legs so that they are well impregnated and we salt.
- Now, we cut the onion into thin julienne strips and place it in an oven-safe dish with capacity for both legs.
- We put a little olive oil and salt in the onion.
- Next, we make some cuts in the meat to help it cook well inside.
- We place the legs in the source, first from the bottom.
- Now, we crush the garlic in a mortar with a little parsley and a little white wine.
- We put half of the mash on the legs and reserve the rest.
- Finally, we add the white wine and half a glass of water and put in the oven.
- Cook on that side for about 25 minutes or until we see that it is well browned, watering from time to time with the sauce.
- After that time, we turn the legs, we salt and we put the rest of the mash.
- We water with the sauce and cook another 25 minutes approximately.
- While the meat is cooking we are going to prepare the sweet potato.
- We peel the sweet potatoes well, wash them with water to remove all the dirt and dry with absorbent paper.
- We cut into slices not very thick and trying that all have a similar thickness.
- We place on a baking tray with a waxed paper, taking care that there are no slices on top of each other.
- Add ground pepper, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
- With a kitchen brush we spread well and put the tray in the oven for about 20 or 25 minutes.