This year I am preparing the turkey for the first time in over 8 years. We are hosting my inlaws and I'm interested in some unique turkey preparation ideas, some mashed potato and gravy ideas etc.
What's your favorite recipe for turkey day?
Shout out to kleinbl00 because I recall you posting how to prepare a turkey a while back but couldn't find it. Any suggestions?
1) Brine the day before, ideally 24 hours worth. Makeup of brine is irrelevant, so long as it's salty. Alton Brown has an extremely precious brine that will cost you - I shit you not - $20. It is not substantially better than rock salt and allspice. 2) Gourmet Magazine tested the fuck out of how to roast a turkey back in 2002. 3) I usually hit it hot and baste it with wine every half hour. Well, not wine. The honey mead my wife made back in 2007. Then when there's enough pan juices baste with that. I crank it back to time things to make the meal right. Because my sister is usually 2 or more hours late. 4) YOU DO NOT NEED ELEVEN SIDES. YOU DO NOT NEED ELEVEN SIDES. YOU DO NOT NEED ELEVEN SIDES. We do stuffing, potatoes, squash, that horrific green bean nightmare because my f'ing brother in law, brussels sprouts and two forms of cranberry (my relish, which is eerily similar to OftenBen's, because it comes off the back of the Ocean Spray bag, and my wife's family's "air quotes salad" which I may describe if there's interest. 5) Mull some wine. Best wine to mull? Manischewitz. I shit you not. Go for the blackberry. It's f'ing delicious. (note that 3 and 5 contribute to an awesome smelling house) 6) YOU DO NOT NEED NINE DESSERTS. We make Pumpkin Yahoo* and whatever my mother-in-law demands. Which is usually pumpkin pie. Which she insists her husband will eat. But he's too busy eating Yahoo.* Not just because she left the sugar out of the mix. again. 7) Take a walk, throw a football, anything between turkey and dessert. This is where living a mile from the beach has its advantages. We've got a Spanish Black for the 5th year running. It matters. It's too late this year, though. We ordered ours months ago, and it's the biggest of the 150 our farm raised. Our turkey outweighs my daughter by three pounds. Note that I spend stupid sums on turkey, because I eat it once or twice a year, when it's available. That 21 pound turkey cost me prime rib money and I'd pay half again for it. Good luck, god speed, and remember - it's about the sharing. * Pumpkin Yahoo is the red-neck trailer-trash slump casserole my uncle stumbled across, made once, and never thought about again. We made it one year… fifteen years ago - and I have been required to make it ever since. It's like crack. My friends line up for it. - Make pumpkin pie filling like on the side of the can of Libby's Pumpkin or whatever - 2 pies worth - Pour that shit in a greased cake pan - Sprinkle a box of yellow cake mix on top (yes, dry) - Top that shit with pecan bits (like, 3 bags) - Top that shit with a melted stick of margarine (works with butter, too; my wife has a fatwah against margarine) - Bake like it's pumpkin pie
Oh my god I just died. * Pumpkin Yahoo is the red-neck trailer-trash slump casserole my uncle stumbled
across, made once, and never thought about again. We made it one year… fifteen years ago - and I have been required to make it ever since. It's like crack. My friends line up for it.
- Make pumpkin pie filling like on the side of the can of Libby's Pumpkin or whatever - 2 pies worth
- Pour that shit in a greased cake pan
- Sprinkle a box of yellow cake mix on top (yes, dry)
- Top that shit with pecan bits (like, 3 bags)
- Top that shit with a melted stick of margarine (works with butter, too; my wife has a fatwah against margarine)
- Bake like it's pumpkin pie|
My mom always makes oyster stuffing. It has this amazing savory flavor that is unmatched by any other kind of stuffing. Other stuffings just aren't worth crap after you go oyster. I don't even like oysters. I don't know the exact recipe she uses but there are various ones floating around the web.
I've got the most amazing thing ever... but I can't tell you how to make it. -Thanks a lot :) Happy thanksgiving. Enjoy the oyster stuffing.
I can offer two things: a ridiculously easier way to get a moist turkey (warning: treyf); and my rewrite of Alton Brown's gravy recipe from the 2011 Thanksgiving episode. Turkey: after you rinse it, oil it, and spice it (I miss the box of Bell's Seasoning -- they don't have them in Los Angeles), put bacon on the top and each drumstick. Then put it in a covered roaster pot. Now it'll keep itself moist. Let stainless steel (or disposable aluminum) do the work. Gravy: I took obsessive notes from Alton Brown's show, which did not feature the same gravy recipe as the one on his web site. The essentials: I need to reformat the full gravy process from my locked LJ entry. I'll post it later today.
If you are making mashed potatoes from scratch, save the cloudy water from the boil and boil it down another hour or so then just use it. Make a roue with the neck and giblets and mirepoix;
Strain to save the giblets to cool down for mincing and the broth for gravy;
Shake up potato starch with broth, which will prevent the other roue from turning to lump.
So, you rinse it and then rub it with oil and spice. Then you cover it with raw bacon and seal the bacon on with aluminum foil? Does the turkey skin still get crispy?
There is no aluminum foil on the turkey: there is a lid on the roasting pan. I mentioned aluminum in case someone wants to use a disposable pan. The skin still gets crispy.
Alright, I need some help. The company I work for is having a potluck tomorrow, and I need to bring a dish. (Vegetarian is preferred, but not necessary.) I am a complete amateur cook, and I need to be able to make it in a few hours tonight/tomorrow morning. The less work the better, but I will shell out whatever time and money is needed. Any ideas? :)
One of my go to dishes for a potluck, especially in fall, is this, except I usually used unsweetened whipped cream (home made is the best way, if you have an electric mixer) in lieu of sour cream or creme fraiche. Also, I use capers or some other salty pickled item instead of pickles. It's best to make it the night before so that the flavors all mix together, and it's hard to tell what's a beet, an apple or an onion.
I think my contribution this year will be a bottle of that Redemption rye that we were enjoying the other day, if I can find it. If not, then I'll probably pick up some 12 year Red Breast (an Irish whiskey that my brother is really into, and I don't blame him, as it is damn good).
Ok, no one has touched mashed potatoes. I'll add my 2 cents. The thing that generally makes bad mashed potatoes is that people try to cut back on the fat or the salt. More rarely, people fuck up the potatoes, usually by boiling whole, large potatoes instead of using very small potatoes or cubes. Also, people forget how much salt that potatoes can handle and so they do not salt the water that the potatoes boil in. And remember, start the water with the potatoes in it and then bring them to the boil together. Anyway, back to fat. It doesn't matter what fat is used, but that fat is the first building block of flavor (on top of the potato flavor). The second is salt; how much I salt my potatoes during mashing, pureeing, or ricing depends on the flavor of the fat and if the fat is salted already. So, if I use salted butter, less or no salt. Olive oil? A lot of salt. Chives or green onions work very well in potatoes, as do things like garlic (particularly grated garlic), herbs, a little horseradish and/or mustard. The next round of fat after the butter or drippings or whatever, is milk. I always use whole milk, if I'm using milk. The last batch of mashed potatoes I made used a mixture of buttermilk and sour cream and man oh man, it was good. Another thing I like to do, is to steep things in the milk or whatever liquid component. Leeks work well, as do chives or other herbs and sometimes I'll add all the seasoning to the liquid to gently steep for a while. Of course, if you do this, it has to be ready for when the potatoes get mashed.
Where do you stand on the chunky vs. smooth mashed potatoes? These past few years instead of normal white puree looking stuff my mom has taken whole red potatoes, put them on a roasting pan, and given each one a loving tap from her kitchen mallet. Stomp the bastards flat, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and rosemary, and bake. They're delicious and it's kinda harder to eat like 4-5 potatoes worth when they're in discrete units.
It depends on my mood. Sometimes I like a very smooth mashed potato (generally with a lot of liquid incorporated, like a very, very thick potato soup) and other times I want something more like barely-smashed potatoes. Most of the time I like them in the middle; smooth parts very smooth and then big ol' chunks of potatoes and skin. My mother has tried that preparation you mentioned, too. It is very good and when you can see the number of things you are eating, you are right, it makes it easier to make a good decision. Honestly though, if I could eat hashbrowns all the time, I would. Heck, even tater tots. I was surprised that they are everywhere in Portland, OR. It's easier to find them in New England now, but still not as easily as in Portland.
Daily dose of sacrilege - I hate mashed potatoes. Actually, I don't really like potatoes at all. Which probably invalidates my entire list below, but there it is. The only thing I like about mashed potatoes is that they allow you to make potato pancakes with the leftovers.
Alton Brown's Spatchcocked Turkey. really, his whole second thanksgiving special is gold. - I wish I had a link to a video of it, but it's unobtanium at the moment. His recipe for deep fried turkey is also fantastic (as is his Turkey Derrek).
I made this last year to bring to my families dinner. It was way better than the usual corn dishes people bring. I'm not a cook and don't have my own recipes, but my wife loves to cook so I said "make something like this" last year and she made this verbatim. It was delicious. Everyone else at our big family dinner wouldn't shut up about it either. Corn and Bacon Casserole. http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/creamed-corn-with-bacon My other recommendation is to serve Imperial Stouts before the meal, and people won't care what it tastes like. :)
Thanks AD, at the very least I am going to take you up on the Imperial Stout idea. I recently saw my in-laws and my wife's stepmother asked me to make a specific cocktail and for the life of me, I cannot remember what it was. Looks like she's having a beer...
I got my rub on (..eww) Thanks, hopefully this recipe works.
Dude, that's actually extremely helpful, thanks. The instructions on how to make an "un"turkey are what I need. Simpler is better this year.
Cranberry Orange Relish for Turkey (And any other meat while you have it, stuff lasts a while) 1 Bag Fresh Cranberries 1 Orange Add ingredients to food processor, pulse until bits are desired size, maybe add a splash of orange juice if it looks dry Serve chilled on top of turkey. Edit* Also roast your turkey breast down for juiciness.
That's it? No mint, cilantro, basil or other type of herb? Perhaps it's perfect as is, but it would seem there could be room for some improvisation.
match it to one used in the marinade/seasoning for the turkey.
-Good call.
My wife and I have fallen in love with an Apple-Leek-Sausage Cornbread Stuffing recipe from Gluten Free on a Shoestring's first cookbook. It was our first time cooking with leeks and we have begun to use them more and more in place of green onions. Basically you just replace the bread with cornbread for those who are gluten intolerant or celiac. I won't reproduce the recipe here but if anyone wants it I can message them it.
This is a pretty cool sweet potato recipe. I love sweet potatoes, so the cinnamon and stuff mixed in as well really sold me. You could try mashing the sweet potatoes as well.