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When I worked in the restaurant, we always were looking for inventive ways to do a traditional turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. A few years ago, we decided to confit the turkey legs, brine and roast the breast, and serve both parts on the same plate. I brought some of each home and my family was sold.

2 turkey legs, thigh bone removed
2 tbsp salt
cracked pepper
1 bay leaf
2 stalks each rosemary and thyme

Season turkey with salt, pepper, and herbs, and place in a colander in a second bowl. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, remove colander, discard any liquid that has drained into the second bowl, and remove herbs

In a large thick bottomed pot, heat to 225 F:

2 L rendered duck fat, olive oil, or lard

Add turkey legs carefully, and simmer gently in the fat for 2 hours, until tender, making sure the temperature remains constant between 210 and 225 F
Lift turkey from fat and place on a rack to drain and cool
Once cool enough to handle, remove skin, bone, tendons, and cartilage and place turkey meat in a medium bowl.
Using a fork (or your freshly washed fingers), gently pull meat apart into fine shreds.
Place into an ovenproof dish with a cover and gently reheat to serve.

Brining does two things to poultry. it seasons the meat nicely all the way through, and it keeps it moist as it cooks. You can make a double recipe of the brine and do a whole turkey, and just roast it as you usually would. You will be amazed at the results.

Brine

2 L water
125 ml salt
125 ml sugar
1/2 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and allow to cool completely

1 boneless half turkey breast, 3-4 lb
olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper

Place turkey breast in brine and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from brine, pat dry, rub with olive oil, and season well with coarse salt and pepper
Place on a rack in a roasting pan and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer registers 160 F
Remove from heat and allow to rest a half hour before carving.

A simple split roast chicken is one of our all time family favourite meals. The light marinade adds some interest to the skin and allows it to caramelize nicely.

2 chickens, split, breast and thigh bones removed
2 tbsp grainy mustard
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp chili powder
2 sprigs each rosemary, oregano, and thyme
coarse salt

Split chickens in half and remove breast and thigh bones (or ask your butcher really nicely)

Place into a large container (I use a glass 9 by 13 pan, try and keep the chicken in a single layer)

Whisk together mustard, honey, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar and pour over chicken. Massage it in lightly

Sprinkle with chili powder, add herbs, and refrigerate until needed. It’s best if it has about 2 hours to marinate, but because of the vinegar in the marinade, don’t leave it longer than 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 F (375 if using convection)

Remove chicken from marinating dish and arrange on a baking pan lined with parchment, spooning remaining marinade and herbs over chicken.

Sprinkle with coarse salt

Place pan in oven and roast chicken until a meat thermometer registers 165 F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (it should take about 45 minutes to an hour)

Remove tray from oven and allow chicken to rest for 15 minutes at least before serving.