And In Conclusion...
So, next time (next year? let's hope not), I would focus on the turkey, and not worry about things like the green bean casserole, or marshmallows on the candied yams until the turkey was totally, definitely, for sure and for reals out of the oven. I would also figure out how to do something like carving a turkey. I would make more gravy by any means possible. I would buy a second or third box of wild rice, and accept that when they say 2 servings per box, they mean it. I would totally spatchcock that turkey again, but give it more time than Mark Bittman claims. Astute readers will also notice that although peas were on the initial menu, I decided to forgo them. It probably didn't matter either way, but if I had had a little more time at the end, I think something else green would have been welcome.
All of the above is worth all of the below, especially if you can get someone else to wash the dishes.
Labels: denouement, thanksgiving
posted by birdlime at 10:19 PM
1 Comments:
Wow, Donna. I am very impressed with all of your Thanksgiving day efforts. It sounds like you put together a pretty incredible meal. I was pretty involved in the preparations at my parents house and I offer you the following comments based on your various postings. First, dont brine. It's a huge pain that involved heating a lot of water to let the brine dissolve, cooling all the water so that it doesnt cook the turkey, and then somehow fitting a 20lb bird that is completely submerged in liquid in the refrigerator ...without making a huge mess. You seem to have pretty serious skills, but even so, its a risky proposition. Ask either of your roommates for our brining story. Second, if your bird is in danger of burning, you should cover it with foil to prevent the top from getting over cooked. This will allow you to keep the high heat without ruining the top. Third, don't put all the side things to the last minuted because you need the oven for the turkey at the end. Plus stuffing and yams and pie and all that stuff are really what Thanksgiving is all about.
That said, I'm very impressed. I'm fairly confident I could not have pulled all that off.
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