And here are the recipes for our dinner!!
Belgium Dirty Potatoes
10 pounds potoates, peeled, cubed
1 pound butter (real butter—margarine won’t work here!!)
1 quart buttermilk
Salt and black pepper to taste
Boil potatoes in water until they break easily with a fork. While potatoes are boiling, melt butter in a large sauce pan until completely liquid. Over medium-high heat, continue to cook butter until it turns a light brown color…and then a few minutes longer until the solids turn black.
Drain the potoates and return to the cooking pot. Mash with a potatoe masher partially smooth. Add butter and two cups of buttermilk. Add a few large pinches of salt (I prefer kosher) and a few pinches of pepper. Work this into the potatoes. Continue to add buttermilk until the desired consistency is achieved. You can whip potatoes with a mixer if you prefer very smooth potatoes—I like to just work them with a potato masher and have it a little lumpy.
ROAST TURKEY WITH HERB BUTTER AND CARAMELIZED-ONION GRAVY
A superb pairing from cooking teacher and recipe developer Rochelle Palermo Torres.
Onion base for gravy
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 large onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
Turkey
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 21- to 22-pound turkey; neck, heart, and gizzard reserved
1 large onion, quartered
4 1/2 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth
2 large fresh rosemary sprigs
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
For gravy base:
Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until deep brown, about 40 minutes. Mix in rosemary and thyme, then flour; stir 1 minute. Add vinegar and honey; simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
For turkey:
Mix butter and herbs in small bowl. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Place on rack set in large roasting pan. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Starting at neck end, slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Spread 1/4 cup herb butter over breast meat under skin. Rub remaining butter over outside of turkey. Place turkey parts and onion quarters in pan around turkey. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 350°F. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into main cavity and neck cavity. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Roast turkey uncovered 1 hour. Tent turkey breast and tops of drumsticks loosely with foil; roast 1 hour longer. Add 1 cup broth, herb sprigs, and bay leaf to drippings in pan. Continue to roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting with 3/4 cup broth and pan juices every 30 minutes, about 2 hours 30 minutes longer for unstuffed and 3 hours longer for stuffed. Transfer turkey to platter; let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature will increase 5 to 10 degrees).
Strain pan juices into 8-cup measuring cup; spoon fat off top. Heat gravy base over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then pan juices. Boil until gravy is reduced to 7 cups, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve turkey with gravy.
Makes 14 servings.
Bon Appétit
November 2002
ARTICHOKE, SAUSAGE, AND PARMESAN CHEESE STUFFING
Sourdough bread complements the Italian flavors in this stuffing from Bruce Aidells.
15 cups 1-inch cubes crustless sourdough bread (from two 1-pound loaves)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Italian sweet sausages, casings removed
2 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 8-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread between 2 baking sheets. Bake until cubes are dry but not hard, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until cooked through, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Sauté until celery is soft, about 10 minutes. Mix in artichokes, thyme, and mint; sauté 2 minutes longer. Transfer sausage mixture to large bowl. (Bread and sausage mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Store bread at room temperature. Refrigerate sausage mixture and reheat to lukewarm before continuing.)
Add bread to sausage mixture; toss to blend well. Mix in cheese, then 1 cup broth. Season with salt and pepper.
To bake stuffing in turkey:
Loosely fill main cavity and neck cavity of turkey with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten slightly (1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish — alongside turkey or while turkey is resting — until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover stuffing in dish. Bake until top of stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
To bake stuffing in dish:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add enough extra broth to stuffing to moisten (3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cups). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
Makes 12 servings.
Bon Appétit
November 2002
Now, who's coming to share our leftovers?
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