In Portugal, peru recheado is the Christmas Day centerpiece in many homes, served after the Bacalhau com Todos (recipe on the site) of Christmas Eve. It is a bird stuffed with a rich mix of chouriço, pork, chestnuts and bread soaked in Port wine, and it makes a plain roast turkey look a little lonely by comparison.

The stuffing is really the point of this recipe; the turkey is almost a vehicle for it. Chouriço and presunto (or a good smoked ham) render their fat into the bread and chestnuts as everything roasts, and the drippings are spooned back over the meat so nothing dries out.

Leave visible pieces of chestnut in the stuffing, not just chestnut flavor; vacuum-packed, pre-peeled chestnuts are a perfectly good shortcut.

This is a full production, closer to a Thanksgiving turkey than a weeknight dinner, so start the stuffing a day ahead for a calmer Christmas morning. Use a meat thermometer: the turkey and the stuffing inside it must both reach 165°F to be safe.

Peru Recheado à Portuguesa Recipe

What you need

Ingredients

For the turkey:
One 12 to 14 lb turkey, giblets removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Port wine
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt and black pepper
For the stuffing:
8 ounces chouriço, diced
8 ounces presunto or smoked ham, diced
1 lb ground pork
1 loaf (about 12 oz) day-old crusty bread, torn into small pieces
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
2 cups peeled cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped (vacuum-packed is fine)
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Port wine or Madeira
2 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For basting:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock

Cook along

Instructions

A day ahead, make the stuffing: soak the torn bread in warm milk until softened, about 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess milk and set the bread aside.
In a large skillet, cook the chouriço and presunto over medium heat until they release their fat, about 5 minutes. Add the ground pork and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in the Port wine and let it bubble for a minute to cook off the raw alcohol smell.
Remove from heat and stir in the soaked bread, chopped chestnuts, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight so the flavors settle.
The next day, preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Pat the turkey dry and season the cavity with salt. Loosely pack the cavity and neck area with stuffing — do not pack it tightly, as it needs room to expand.
Any leftover stuffing can be baked separately in a covered dish for the last 45 minutes of roasting.
Rub the turkey skin with olive oil mixed with minced garlic, Port wine, paprika, salt, and pepper. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under.
Roast the turkey, basting with melted butter and stock every 45 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (not touching bone) reads 165°F, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours total. Tent with foil if the skin browns too quickly.
Let the turkey rest, loosely tented with foil, for at least 25 minutes before carving so the juices redistribute.