I love roasted turkey for dinner. One turkey can provide several meals, and it is a very versatile ingredient. With a smaller household, though, it can fell like too large of an undertaking. By roasting two turkey legs, you can have a manageable amount of protein but still have leftovers the next day.
2 turkey legs, thawed
6 cups brine (see recipe here)
3 stalks celery, large diced
1 cup diced carrots (or 1 cup baby carrots)
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
2 large potatoes, large diced
1 sweet potato, large diced
1/2 medium onion, cut into eighths
2 clove of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
4 cups water or broth
1 teaspoon ground sage or poultry seasoning
fresh sage leaves (optional)
olive oil
1/4 cup melted butter
salt and pepper to taste
At least 24 hours ahead:
Place thawed turkey legs in large zip bags or other sealable container and add the brine. Put in the lowest area of your refrigerator for 14-48 hours.
Heat oven to 375F.
On the day of:
Remove the turkey legs and brine from the refrigerator. Take the legs out of the liquid and rinse in fresh water. Discard brine.
In a large, heavy baking dish or roaster place the turkey legs and all of the vegetables. Add the water or broth, ground sage or poultry stuffing, and salt and pepper. Lay sage leave across the top of the legs, and drizzle with olive oil.
Cover and roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and cook another 45 minutes, or until the legs register 175F on a thermometer (measure at the thickest part, not hitting the bone). During the last 30 minutes of cooking, baste with the melted butter every 10 minutes.
When the legs are done, remove from the pan. You can serve at the table, or shred the meat from the bone and gristle. Unless someone calls dibs on a whole leg, I prefer to cut the meat off before serving.
You can serve with the roasted vegetables as a side dish, shred it down and add to make a hearty soup, or save the broth and vegetables to eat the next day as a light meal.
You can also add shredded chicken or turkey, mini meatballs, or cooked pasta or rice to the vegetable and broth mix. Two meals with one stretch in the oven makes this an easy thing to fix.
