This is my fourth year cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my family and I try to make it more fabulous each year. The menu was divvied up between me, my sisters and cousin. I was in charge of the 20 lb turkey, roasted brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, gravy and crispy kale chips.
Roasted Turkey
I use Alton Brown's brine recipe to start things off. It takes 12 hours so I prep the turkey the night before the big day. I grab my mom's huge (holds 5+ gallons) pho pot to mix the brine and store the turkey. Using a cheesecloth to hold the spices is highly recommended to avoid the peppercorns sticking to the turkey. It's not in the recipe, but I like to add a slice of lemon, a few thyme and rosemary leaves too.
While the brine is cooling off-- I clean the turkey and take out the neck and gizzards. I use the neck and gizzards to make the turkey broth for the gravy. I placed the turkey inside the brine and stored it overnight.
The next day, the turkey is then removed, rinsed off and patted dry. I finely mince and chop garlic and mix it in a stick of butter. I then stick as much of the garlic butter under and over the skin as humanly possible. This is ensure a crispy brown skin as well as a moist bird (since I don't baste the turkey more than twice).
In the cavity of the bird, I place a cored granny smith apple, a lemon I poke holes in, fresh sage, rosemary and thyme leaves. I then take a piece of foil and fold it into a triangle to cover the breast and wings of the turkey. I also poured 2 cans of chicken stock on the bottom of the roasting pan. In a preheated 500 degree oven I placed the bird on the bottom rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, I turned down oven to 350 and cooked the bird for another 3-3.5 hours (basting it at the 1.5 and 2.5 hour mark). I also remove the foil the last hour to brown the breast skin.
Sausage Sage Stuffing
I used both a rosemary loaf and french baguette for base, added granny smith apples and dried currants to the recipe. It's a great recipe to make beforehand and reheat the next day.
Suffering Bastard Cocktail
Careful with this cocktail-- it got me in trouble.
Recipe is below.
1 part gin
1 part whiskey or bourbon
1 part lime juice
Splash of bitters
4 parts ginger ale (but I reduced it to 1 part)
Crispy Kale Chips
The only problem making the chips was that I didn't have the oven when I wanted it. I needed a 375 degree oven that would fit two trays of kale. I baked some in my parents' toaster oven and fit one small tray next to the turkey. These were good--but I'll likely not make them again for a large dinner.
Gravy
I took the neck, livers and gizzards of the turkey and covered them with water in a 3-quart saucepan. I let it simmer on low heat for 1 hour to make a concentrated turkey broth for the gravy. I strained the broth and refrigerated it.
Once the turkey was removed from the roasting pan, I put the pan on the stove top and added a few tablespoons of flour and the turkey broth, whisking it until it thickened. I then strained the gravy before serving.
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
Still not a favorite dish with my family, but I liked it.
Corn Bread Muffins
I basically use the recipe on the side of the Albers Corn Meal box--but it works every year!
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