Tea and Bourbon-Brined Turkey Leg and Kale Salad

Difficulty:

1/5

Ease of Preparation: Complex.

Yield: 4 servings.

Kale Salad

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60ml) olive oil

3 tablespoons (45ml) red wine vinegar

2 tablespoon (30ml) Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons (30ml) orange juice

1 tablespoon (15ml) thinly sliced green onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 bunches kale, stemmed and chopped

1 cup (240ml) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup (80ml) coarsely chopped roasted walnuts

½ cup (120ml) dried cranberries

Salt and pepper

Method:

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, orange juice, green onion, garlic, salt and pepper until emulsified.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine kale, chickpeas, walnuts and cranberries.

Pour emulsified dressing over the kale mixture, and toss to coat.

Reserve for plating.

Tea and Bourbon Brined Turkey Leg with Kale Salad

Ingredients:

2 large turkey legs, bone-in and skin on

8 Orange Pekoe tea bags

½ cup (120ml) brown sugar

½ cup (120ml) honey

1 ½ cups (360ml) salt

1 tablespoon (15ml) black peppercorns

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

3 bay leaves

5 cloves

½ cup honey (120ml) + 2 tablespoons (30ml), divided

3 tablespoons (45ml) Dijon

1 sprig rosemary, chopped

1 sprig thyme, chopped

½ cup (120ml) unsalted butter, melted

Method:

To make a brine for the turkey, combine 2 litres (8 cups) of water, tea bags, brown sugar, ½ cup of honey, salt, peppercorns, lemon juice, lemon zest, bay leaves, and cloves in a large saucepan.

Bring to a light simmer over high heat and simmer until sugar has dissolved.

Remove saucepan from heat, remove tea bags, and refrigerator brine until cool.

Once brine has cooled, transfer turkey legs into the brine and refrigerate for 8-10 hours. To make the glaze for the turkey, stir together Dijon mustard, rosemary, thyme, melted butter, and remaining 2 tablespoons of honey.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove turkey legs from brine and pat dry.

Place turkey legs on a parchment-lined baking tray.

Spoon glaze over the turkey legs, to coat.

Cook turkey in the oven for 105 minutes, or until cooked through.

Serve turkey legs warm with reserved Kale Salad.