Thanksgiving 2020

It was a small and somewhat lonely Thanksgiving this year, but one silver lining was that for the first time in our lives, Leah and I got to plan and cook our own meal, which was pretty fun. 

Turkey

Brined, Spatchcocked, Air-Dried, and Roasted w/ Butter and Herbs

We got an 11 lb. turkey, which was the smallest we could find. I had always wanted to try spatchcocking a turkey, so after a day in a salt and brown sugar brine, and two more days air-drying in the fridge (to yield crispier skin), I cut the backbone out of the bird and pushed down on the breast to break the ribs, thus laying it out flat. Next we slathered it in herb (thyme, rosemary, and sage) butter and roasted in the oven: 20 minutes at 450F and then about another 45 minutes at 350F until it reached 165F internal temp using a probe thermometer. 

After resting it for 30 minutes I carved the bird - it came out perfectly (at least, as perfectly as turkey can be - it's always a little dry and gamey). While I love dark meat on chicken, I'm just not crazy about it on turkey, so next time I'd honestly rather just roast a bone-in double breast rather than spatchcocking a whole bird, though I do think the spatchcock method results in the most evenly cooked turkey I've ever had. 

Critz Farms - Rippleton Original

We poured ourselves a glass (or two) of dry, champagne-style cider, which we drank as we worked. 

Gravy

For me, a good gravy is just as important as a well-cooked turkey. In the same roasting pan, we cooked the backbone, neck, and giblets (we picked out and ate the delicious liver as soon as it was done) along with onions, garlic, lemon, and herbs. Once browned, we deglazed with the dry cider and added chicken stock. Reduced, strained, and seasoned, it was absolutely amazing and my favorite part of the whole meal. 

Cornbread Stuffing

I supposed it's more "dressing" than "stuffing" since we didn't cook it in the turkey (and neither should you - "stuffing is evil" after all). Leah made the cornbread itself in advance using a mix of yellow and blue cornmeal (it was delicious on its own and she had to stop me from trying to eat it several times). Then she crumbled and dried it out a bit in the oven before tossing with cooked sausage, sautéed jalapeños, celery, herbs, beaten egg, chicken stock, and then baking until crusty on top. 

Utica Greens and Maple-Roasted Acorn Squash

Leah wanted both a green side dish and one with squash, so this is what we came up with.

We both love the regional central NY specialty Utica Greens, so I suggested we make that. We used rainbow chard sautéed with lots of olive oil, bacon, garlic, pickled chilies, and topped with breadcrumbs and grated cheese. 

For the squash, we roasted an acorn squash, then peeled and portioned it. Each slice was basted with maple syrup and sage-infused brown butter before going back in a hot oven. It came out a bit soft (really we should have used butternut squash) but tasted great. 

It's not often we break out the good tablecloth but it was nice to treat ourselves to a more formal dinner for once. Even Jacques got some turkey trimmings. 

Bourbon Brown Butter Pecan Pie

This was a recipe in my archive from Bon Appétit - I can't remember if we ever made it before, but pecan pie is my favorite so I insisted we make some version of it and Leah chose this recipe to work from. Unfortunately all the sugary syrup bubbled up in the oven and spilled over the side, leaving a mess in the oven and also seeping under the crust. This made it almost impossible to scoop out intact slices, but man was the ugly looking pie pile still incredibly delicious!