American Thanksgiving is coming up this Thursday and Christmas is just over a month away. Both dinners center around a roast turkey plus whatever fixins’ and sides you may prepare plus some ethnic dishes that your family likes to serve on special occasions.

Our holidays will be different this year – smaller gathering and that means being practical with the menu.

I offer this stuffed turkey breast I made at at Greek Supper Club three years ago. I like brining turkey and I used the brine from a tub of Feta cheese I had laying around. One can always make their own brine (see note below) but Feta brine is there for the taking!

The stuffing has sausage meat, cooked chestnuts, stale bread and a medley of dried fruit. The gravy is can be made ahead of time, which helps make your dinner lest stressful.

Juicy turkey breast, festive stuffing, rich gravy and my garlic mashed potatoes and you have a different but delicious dinner for Thanksgiving, Christmas or other holiday meal.

Feta Brined Turkey Breast, Chestnut Stuffing and Make Ahead Gravy

(serves 6-8)

1 large turkey breast (approx. 5lbs), skin-on and boneless

Brine

4 cups reserved Feta brine*

3 bay leaves

5-6 whole allspice berries

juice and peels of orange or 2 mandarins

Make Ahead Gravy

4 turkey wings

salt and pepper

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 celery, roughly chopped

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter or olive oil

2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1/2 cup Metaxa or brandy

1 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 cups of turkey/vegetable stock

Chestnut Stuffing

2 mild Italian Sausage

1 packet of turkey giblets or 1/2 cup chicken livers, finely chopped

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup chopped cooked chestnuts

1 cup chopped mixed fruit (dried figs, apricots, raisins, cranberry)

2 cups stale bread, cut into cubes (crusts removed)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

1 egg

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup warm vegetable or turkey/chicken stock

Garnish ideas

chopped roasted chestnuts

pomegranate seeds

shaved truffles

1. Add your Feta brine, bay leaves, allspice, orange peel and juice into a plastic container, mix to combine. Submerge the turkey in the brine and cover. Place in fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
2. To make the gravy, place the turkey wings on a parchment-lined baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Place onions carrot, celery on top of wings and place in the oven. Turn the heat to 400F and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Take out of the oven and allow to cool.
3. Place roast wings and vegetables (plus any drippings on parchment) in a pot, cover with 6 cups cold water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Simmer for 90 minutes.
4. Pass broth through a strainer, press down on vegetables to extract maximum flavour. Discard vegetables and reserve wing meat for a turkey salad. Skim fat off broth or place in fridge overnight so that you can remove all the fat from the top.
5. After you’ve skimmed the fat from the broth. Place in a pot to heat up and reserve. In another pot, add the butter over medium heat and once melted, add the flour, stir in and cook for 2 minutes. Add a the brandy and wine and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add a slow stream of hot broth, bay leave, thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Take off the heat, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves, thyme and reserve or allow to cool before storing in fridge. Reheat when you’re ready to serve turkey.
6. To make the stuffing, slice the casings of your sausage with a knife and remove the meat (discard casings). Place in a large skillet, turn heat to medium-high and brown the sausage while breaking it up with your wooden spoon. Add the giblets, stir in and cook until just browned.
7. Add the butter, onions, celery, bay leaf, some salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft and translucent. Take off heat, transfer to a bowl and add the chestnuts, dried fruit, bread cubes, parsley and sage and stir to combine.
8. Add egg, cream and stock and mix again to combine and allow to come to room temperature. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
9. Take turkey breast out of the fridge and out of the brine (discard). Pat-dry the turkey. Butterfly the turkey and with the inside of the breast facing up, place plastic wrap on the meat and gently pound the meat with a mallet to create a flat/even surface.
10. Spread the stuffing over the surface of the meat, leaving about 3/4 inch border on all sides. Roll up the turkey then secure/tie up with butcher’s twine. You may store stuffed turkey in the fridge up to two days. Be sure to allow turkey to return to room temperature before roasting.
11. Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Rub olive oil or melted butter all over the skin. Season lightly with salt and pepper and place on a rack that fits in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 325F and roast until internal temperature reaches 160F. The turkey should cook in about 1 hour 15 minutes time. Cover turkey loosely with foil for 15 minutes before carving. Snip and remove butcher twine and slice into portions.
12. Serve with my garlic mashed potatoes and gravy.

• * You can make your own brine by dissolving 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup sugar in 4 cups water.

**If you want to simply things, leave the turkey breast in tact (do not stuff) and roast on its own. Bake the stuffing separately in a medium casserole dish uncovered for 30-40 minutes in 325F oven.