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Sunday, November 23, 2025

Confit Turkey Thighs

A delicious alternative to roast turkey, serving just a few people, these succulent confit turkey thighs have crispy skin and melt-in-your mouth meat.

Just a few months ago, I was looking for a roast pheasant recipe only to discover that, much like a whole turkey, if you roast a whole pheasant, you often end up overcooking the breast to get the thighs cooked. If you read my roast pheasant crown post, you know that I decided to separate the parts and cook them separately, choosing to confit the whole legs.

That’s because once you cook something with the confit method, you will want to confit all the things. Duck legs, pork belly, garlic, chicken gizzards, even tomatoes! I’ve cooked them all covered in oil or fat. I’ve even poached wild salmon in butter, which is essentially what the confit method is: Poaching something slowly in fat or oil.

So last Thanksgiving when I found myself with only three eaters to cook turkey dinner for, my thoughts, as per usual, turned to confit. I decided on turkey thighs because we do love the crispy skin and smaller joints like legs and wings don’t really have one big piece of skin to crisp up or, frankly, as much meat to share.

I already bought my turkey thighs to repeat this dish for Thanksgiving this year and I can hardly wait. It’s that good!

Confit Turkey Thighs

This recipe is easily doubled or trebled, if you have the right pot and enough duck fat. If you don't have duck fat, you can use another animal fat like goose fat, lard, or schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), or mild vegetable oils such as olive oil, canola oil or peanut oil. Keep in mind that some fats might change the flavor of the confit compared to the traditional duck fat method.

Ingredients

2 turkey thighs, bone-in, skin on – approx. weight = 1.87 lbs

Flakey sea salt – I like Maldon

Poultry seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

Duck fat to cover in tightfitting pan or Dutch oven – I used 3 3/4 cups or 887ml

Method

Generously season the turkey thighs all over with the salt, poultry seasoning and black pepper in a shallow pan or casserole that will fit in your refrigerator. Tuck the bay leaves under the thighs and cover with cling film.

Refrigerate 24 hours or as many as 48 hours.

When ready to confit the turkey thighs, preheat your oven to a slow 300°F or 150°C.

Wipe the salt off gently with a paper towel and dry the thighs. Put them into a close-fitting oven safe pan or Dutch oven.

Warm the duck fat gently if it is solidified.

Pour the duck fat over the turkey thighs to cover. They look like they are sticking out but there is a very thin layer of fat over the top.

Bake at this gentle temperature for at least 3 hours. Remove from the oven and use a slotted spoon to put the thighs in a snug storage container with a lid. Pour the duck fat from the cooking pan over the thighs to cover.

When chilled, the fat covering will protect the turkey thighs.

These confit turkey thighs can be kept, carefully covered, in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. As long as they are completely submerged in the duck fat and they are in an airtight container, they can last months. Confit is a great make-ahead dish.

To serve, bring the duck fat to room temperature and pour it off the turkey thighs. (Save it in a clean jar in the refrigerator for future use!)

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Brown the thighs skin side down in a hot pan. This just takes a few minutes.

Turn the thighs over and brown the other side.

Bake the thighs, skin side up, in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. You can do this in an empty pan but last Thanksgiving, I popped them on top of the pan of stuffing since that needed to be baked as well. It was a good decision!

Baked and just out of the oven

To serve, remove the crispy skin and cut it into strips. Pull the turkey apart into large pieces. Discard the bones. Put the turkey in a serving bowl, surrounded by the skin so people can help themselves to both.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are acknowledging that not everyone has a crowd to cook for during the holidays. So, for those folks, we are sharing some holiday main courses with fewer diners in mind. Check out the links below.

Bacon-Wrapped Sirloin Tip Roast from Palatable Pastime
Confit Turkey Thighs from Food Lust People Love
Dry Brined Roast Turkey Breast from Amy's Cooking Adventures
Milk-Braised Pork Loin with Carrot Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Nawabi Mutton Biryani with Burani Boondi Raita from Sneha's Recipe
Roasted Lemon, Herb & Lavender Spatchcocked Chicken from Culinary Cam
Stuffed Pork Loin Roast from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Stuffed Turkey Breast with Gravy from Karen's Kitchen Stories

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero

These Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero feature a strong cheese sauce made with hard cider, two mature cheeses, English mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce.

There’s a little café in town where we like to go for breakfast. It’s right next to the central market and close to the fish market so we park, enjoy a delightful breakfast and then get our shopping done. My perfect outing.

One of my favorite dishes at Rosie's Café is their Welsh rarebit, a lovely slice of toast heaped with a bitey cheese sauce then popped under the broiler/grill until it bubbles and turns golden. It is most delightful, rich and filling.

I make a similar sauce for cauliflower cheese but never thought to top potatoes with it until I saw a recipe in delicious. magazine. This is my rendition of that recipe, with the addition of the greens.

Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero

I use the very handy real bacon crumbles I buy in Costco for this dish but it’s never crispy enough, hence the extra frying step. If your bacon is already cooked extra crispy, you can skip that. Cavolo Nero is also known as Tuscan kale. You can use regular kale if it’s not available.

Ingredients

7 oz or 200g cavolo nero/Tuscan kale

2 green onions, green part only

1/3 cup or 40g cooked bacon, crumbled

1 lb or 450g Jersey royals or other new potatoes, halved if large

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups or 295-359ml dry cider (I use Strongbow Original)

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons plain flour

Splash Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon English mustard powder (I use Colman's)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 1/2 oz or 100g mature cheddar, coarsely grated

3 1/2 oz or 100g Gruyere or Comté, coarsely grated

Method

Wash the cavolo nero well then remove the hard stalks. (You can discard/compost these or save them for making vegetable stock later.)

Cut the leaves roughly.

I forgot to wash first so I soaked, rinsed and spinned three times after chopping. It is easier to wash the whole leaves so do as I say, not as I did!

Chop the green onions finely and set aside a small amount for garnish.

Use a pot that will fit your potatoes nicely in a single layer, then pour in enough cider to just cover them and the 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Bring to the boil, covered with a lid, then simmer for 15-18 minutes until tender to the point of a knife.

Drain off the cider into a heatproof vessel. You should have about 1 cup or 240ml (if not, make up the difference with water or extra cider.)

While the potatoes are simmering, fry your bacon bits in a skillet till they are extra crispy. Add in the cavolo nero leaves and cook until they are wilted and any liquid they produce has evaporated. These are sturdy greens that take a while to cook. I put a lid on at the beginning, then remove the lid so the liquid can evaporate.

Remove the bacon and cavolo nero to a bowl, leaving behind any bacon fat.

Add the butter to the bacon pan over a medium heat, then add the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring to create a light roux.

Gradually stir or whisk in the reserved cider to make a smooth sauce.

Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and cayenne pepper, then simmer for a few minutes.

Add the cheeses and mix until fully melted.

Sprinkle in the bigger pile of chopped green onions.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Put the potatoes in a baking dish or casserole then add in the cavolo nero with bacon. Use a spoon to tuck the greens around the potatoes to create a single layer.

Spoon the cheese sauce over the potatoes and cavolo nero and sprinkle on the reserved chopped green onions.

Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbling, about 20 minutes, finishing it off with about five minutes under the broiler/grill to brown.

Serve bubbling hot! This delicious dish is rich enough to be served as a main.

These Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero feature a strong cheese sauce made with hard cider, two mature cheeses, English mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 23th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter W. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the W recipes below:

Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Chocolate Mint Whoopie Pies
Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Cranberry Wild Rice
Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Whiskey
A Messy Kitchen: French Onion Sausage and White Bean Bake
Culinary Cam: Frisky Whiskey Chocolate Cake
Blogghetti: Homemade White Gravy Mix
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash
Mayuri’s Jikoni: Waldorf Salad
Food Lust People Love: Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero
Palatable Pastime: Warm Potato Salad with Kielbasa
Sneha’s Recipe: White Chicken

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam

E. Whipped Espresso Cream

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken

G. Extra Herby Gremolata

H. Smoked Herring Spread

I. Fresh Cherry Ice Cream

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad

L. Lobster Butter

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche

P. Easy Pastina Soup

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter

S. Fresh Scallop Sashimi

T. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing

U. Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

V. Mirabelle Plum Vodka

W. Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero – this post!

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Sunday, October 26, 2025

Roast Pheasant Crowns

Tender and succulent, roast pheasant crowns with their subtle gaminess is a delightful alternative to chicken or turkey for a holiday meal. Or any day really.

The first time I ever remember eating pheasant was at one my husband's company Christmas dinners, held in a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. It was a lovely dressy affair that lasted all evening, starting with Champagne and ending several courses later with a delightful cheese selection.

When the pheasant course was served, I was warned to be careful because, while the chefs make every effort to remove it, sometimes buckshot gets missed and it will break your teeth. I was told that finding shot was good because it meant you were eating much preferred wild pheasant, not farm raised. I did find one little ball of shot that night and one in the pheasant crowns I roasted for this post so yay!

Crowning a pheasant is a simple way to present a beautifully cooked bird without the hassle of carving at the table. To crown a pheasant, we will simply remove the legs and wings (if any) from the carcass. Then we remove most of the back, leaving a base for the breast to sit on. The breasts can be brined and then roasted to perfection, without drying out.

The whole legs (thighs and drumsticks) are best cooked confit-style, that is to say, slow-baked covered with duck fat to keep make them tender. I’ll share that recipe in another post.

Roast Pheasant Crowns

Start this recipe early in day you want to serve the pheasants, to allow time for brining, which is essential to ensure the birds don’t dry out while roasting. Older birds can brine for eight hours, younger ones need only four hours. This recipe is adapted from one on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook.

Ingredients

2 whole pheasants (Mine weighed 1.9 lbs or 867g and 1.8 lbs or 826g.)

4 cups or 946ml water

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 bay leaf

4 tablespoons softened butter

Drizzle olive oil for roasting pan

Streaky bacon to cover your pheasant crowns before baking

Method

Separate the whole legs (thigh and drumstick) from the rest of the pheasants.

As mentioned above, pheasant thighs and legs can be roasted but they tend to dry out, despite brining, and are better cooked confit – baked slowly in duck fat. That will be a separate recipe for later so set them aside.

Cut the back out, leaving a small piece across the top of the breasts.

These backs can be seasoned and pan-fried or roasted and then simmered in water to make a flavorful stock. Or if you have a collection bag for items to make stock in the freezer, toss them in.

Make a brine by bringing the 1 cup or 240ml water, salt, bay leaf and sugar to a boil.

Boil until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add in the rest of the water and let cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge. When it has cooled completely, pour it in a Ziploc bag with the pheasant crowns, making sure they are completely covered.

Keep in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours. (See note just above the ingredient list.)

When you are ready to roast, take the crown bag out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.

Preheat your oven to 450°F or 332°C.

Drain the brine and rinse the crowns with cool water. Pat dry with paper towels.

As you can see, one of my pheasants had the skin relatively intact. The other, not so much. I've read that some hunters can't be bothered to pluck the birds carefully, so they just pull the feathers out roughly or the skin off altogether.

These were purchased at the same time from the same game butcher so who knows why they were different!

Rub the crowns all over with the softened butter.

Transfer them to a roasting pan lightly drizzled with olive oil, then cover the breasts with streaky bacon slices. Use however many you’d like. I recommend full coverage so you might also want to overlap them like I do.

Roast for 12 minutes. Baste with pan juices then roast for 8-15 minutes more, depending on the size of the breasts and how you like your game cooked. I recommend using an instant read thermometer.

Pheasant, particularly the breast, can and should be served with a slight blush of pink to keep it juicy and prevent it from drying out. A properly cooked pheasant breast should have a target internal temperature of 155° to 160°F or 68° to 71°C so take them out of the oven before they reach that as they will continue to cook as they rest.

Leave the crowns to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing the whole breast off each side of the crowns and serving.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes made with game or foraged items for a theme I called hunter/gatherer. Check out those recipes below!

Chili Cheeseburgers with Bison Chili from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Dried Rosemary from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Momiji Tempura ;from Culinary Cam
Pork Korma from Sneha's Recipe
Roast Pheasant Crowns from Food Lust People Love
Urban Foraged Stovetop Potpourri from Amy's Cooking Adventures
Venison Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie from A Day in the Life on the Farm

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Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

Umeboshi calamansi lime juice is a refreshing drink popular in Asia, made with calamansi limes and sour plums aka umeboshi over ice.

Back in February of this year, I went to my Costco and discovered several pallets of citrus trees right outside the front door. To my absolute amazement, one of them was a calamansi lime! The tag had a different name and the peels were orange instead of green, but I’d know that aroma anywhere after living in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia for a combined total of 13 or 14 years.

There were only a few left so I did not hesitate and put one in my shopping cart right away. Then a funny thing happened. I was stopped repeatedly by other customers as I did the rest of my shopping, wanting to know where I’d found the tree! Apparently, there were none left up front. One Asian woman even questioned why I needed it. I guess she was hoping I’d hand it over? Who knows!

Anyhoo, I planted the baby in the ground in my backyard and it rewarded me with a decent crop of little limes, as seen below. Crossing my fingers it will do the same again in the next few months.

Depending on the country, this delicious drink is called different names. In Malaysia where I ordered it often, it’s known as limau kasturi asam boi or usually just limau asam boi, but it’s always made with calamansi or kasturi limes.

And for those who are curious, normal green limes are called limau nipis in Malay. Just limau means lemon.

Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

If you aren’t fortunate enough to be able to source the calamansi limes you can make this with regular ones (skip blending the peels!) but you’ll need more sugar to counterbalance the tartness of the juice.

Ingredients to serve two:

2 teaspoons sugar

6 calamansi limes

2 umeboshi or dried sour plums

Ice cubes

Method

Add 1 teaspoon sugar and one sour plum into each glass. Pour in 1/4 cup or 60ml hot water in each to dissolve the sugar and steep the sour plums.

Wash the limes and cut them in half.

Remove the seeds and squeeze the juice into a large measuring cup or bowl.

Use a metal straw or spoon to mash the plums in the glasses a little.

In a blender or food processor, blend the lime peels with 2 tablespoons of the squeezed juice.

Strain through a sieve into your measuring cup or bowl, pressing gently with a spoon to get all the juice out. Discard the peels.

Divide the juice between the glasses and add ice cubes.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 21th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter U. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the U recipes below: