If you’ve had a million roast turkeys, you’ll probably have a bazillion more…

Ever heard of turducken? It’s a creole/cajun dish where an entire, de-boned chicken is stuffed into a de-boned duck which is then stuffed inside of a de-boned turkey. Of course, the duck is stuffed with stuffing too. We’ve never made nor tried turducken, but wanted to riff it somehow–easier & cheaper, but just as flavorful. So we opted for meatloaf (meatballs would work too!). It’s a super simple throw together that requires very little ‘nurturing’ to make and tastes like turkey and stuffing all wrapped together in one bite. The compote is literally the cherry on top. Not as puckery as a cranberry relish–this compote is aromatic with a hint of sweet tartness.

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients

For Meatloaf

• 1 lb. ground duck*
• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 T fresh(!) sage, finely chopped
• 2 T rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 T thyme, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• s&p

For Cherry Compote

• 12 oz. frozen cherries
• juice & zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 c red wine vinegar
• 3/4 c stock
• 1 T rosemary, finely chopped
• s&p

Method

Preheat your oven to 400F.

In a medium saute pan, saute the onion in a few tablespoons of fat, until tender. Place a lid on top and the steam will cook the onions much faster, also making them more of a creamy texture which lends itself well to this recipe. Let them cool.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all meats, onion, herbs, lemon and pepper and salt. Pour the mixture into a large oven-safe baking dish and shape into a loaf, or just press it into the pan. (I actually tried to roll this bad boy into a ‘jelly roll’ of sorts, but that was a complete waste of time.) The shallower the ‘loaf’, the faster it’ll cook. Bake for 45 minutes, then turn the oven to broil and let the top get brown, about another 5-7 minutes.

For the Cherry Compote

Toss all the ingredients into a medium sized sauce pot (same one you used for the onions) and place over medium high heat. Let the compote reduce, reduce, reduce into a nice sauce consistency…whatever you like best. This will anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the depth of your pan. Use a fork to smash the cherries into pieces.

*I have never seen ground duck for sale. I bought 2 duck breasts (skin on!) and put them through the meat grinder attachment for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. Easy breezy. Duck is not cheap–around $10-11/lb. But being a holiday meal, I would absolutely recommend the splurge.

[/print_this]