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Turkey, Truffled Economically

Take a freshly-killed, plump young turkey. If large, half a pound of fine fresh truffles will be required for it; if small, a quarter or a third of a pound will be sufficient. Wash and scrub the truffles carefully as in the preceding recipe, drain and dry them, and cut them into thin slices without peeling them. Boil or roast some fine sound chestnuts; the quantity must be regulated by the size of the turkey. There must be sufficient, with the truffles, to fill the body of the bird. Before boiling them, make a little cut in the outer skin of each nut to keep it from bursting. When all are done, throw them into slightly-salted water, and let them boil quickly until tender: they will take from half an hour to an hour. Skin them, mix the sliced truffles with them; then fill the body of the bird with the mixture, and let the turkey hang for two or three days in a cool airy situation. On the day that it is to be cooked fill the crop of the bird with good veal forcemeat, truss it firmly, tie a buttered paper over the breast, and roast it before a clear fire. Hang it at first some distance from the fire, and baste liberally. A turkey prepared as above will be sufficiently flavoured with truffles to satisfy most people; indeed, all but those who are excessively fond of truffles. If liked, bread sauce or onion sauce may be sent to table with this dish, but generally a truffled turkey is served with its own gravy only. Time, an hour and a half to two hours and a half, according to size.