We don't bother with "health" at Thanksgiving. Turkey-and-dressing AND rib roast (two actually, one stuffed with garlic and one not), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, homemade rolls, homemade pumpkin pie, homemade cranberry sauce, salad first, and something green, probably broccoli. Nothing unusual or out-of-the-ordinary, other than two kinds of meat, because Ben won't eat any meat but beef, and after years of no turkey, I finally rebelled. Every year Chris expresses outrage that we are going to all the "trouble" of two kinds of meat (sorry, Paul!) and every year I dig in my heels. I want turkey, dammit! It's Thanksgiving, I want turkey and dressing! This year, with two ovens, the only thing he can complain about is fitting it all into the refrigerator afterwards.
I use a recipe from Cook's Magazine, and soak the turkey for hours in a brine solution, which makes it juicy. I roast it with the dressing inside, which isn't ideal for the turkey, but it's ideal for the dressing. And I roast it breast down, which keeps the breast meat from drying out, and flip it at the end, so there are pan marks (rack marks, really) on the breast, but that doesn't bother me. |
