Turkey thigh in vegetable cream sauce with apples

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1.2 kg turkey thigh(s)
• 2 pinches of freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon thyme, fresh, leaves
• 1 tbsp coriander
• 300 ml cider or apple juice
• 1 tbsp mustard, sweet
• 2 tbsp clarified butter or oil
• 2 pinches of salt
• 200 g carrot(s)
• 200 g leek
• 200 g tomatoes
• 200 g bell pepper(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 200 g apples
• some honey
• 100 ml cream
• possibly sauce thickener

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 4 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes; Total time approx. 6 hours 10 minutes

Wash the turkey leg and pat dry. Crush the coriander in a mortar and pestle, strip the lemon thyme leaves, and rub the turkey leg all over with pepper, thyme, and coriander, then place it in a shallow dish. Mix the cider with the mustard, pour it over the turkey leg, and marinate the meat for 4 hours. Turn it over once during the marinade to allow the marinade to penetrate evenly. Remove the turkey leg from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper. Discard the marinade. Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan/convection oven). Heat the clarified butter in a saucepan. Season the turkey leg with salt and sear it all over in the hot fat. Pour in the marinade and braise the turkey leg in the oven for 1 hour. Wash and peel the vegetables. Slice the carrots and cut the leek diagonally into rings. Quarter the tomatoes and slice the bell peppers. Simply add the garlic whole. After an hour, add the vegetables to the meat and braise for another 20 minutes. Finally, peel and quarter the apples, remove the cores, and cut the apples into wedges. Add the apple wedges and braise for a further 10 minutes. Remove the turkey leg from the oven and brush with honey. Set the oven to grill and roast the turkey leg under the grill for 5 minutes until crispy. Remove the meat from the pot and let it rest. Bring the vegetables and braising liquid to a boil, stir in the cream, season the sauce again, and thicken if desired. Serve the turkey leg with the vegetable cream sauce.