Lifestyle Correspondent Every other Friday
From Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, there are so many chances to feast that at a certain point you have to stop being a guest and host a dinner yourself.Holiday cooking demystified
Before you take out the apron, one must acknowledge that baking a chicken or turkey is no small feat -- until now that is. AskMen.com has realized that conventional turkey cooking is a thing of the past and absolutely not for today's man.
Every time we hear others talk about turkeys, they all put down some instruction as to how to pull it off but never address the ultimate challenge of the Big Bird: Too dry? Overcooked? Exactly.
Don't dry out the bird
The biggest problem is that everyone assumes that the bird must be presented in one piece. While we'll be the first to agree that presentation is a huge part of the culinary science -- we'd would also add that what any chef is concerned with is what people say after they eat, and not before.
Turkeys have always presented the challenge that the breasts must not be overcooked, since they will get dry, stiff and essentially crappy, whereas the legs have to be cooked until they practically melt in your mouth. It is for this reason that the bird cannot and should not be left in one piece. Sacrilegious? Perhaps. But who cares, your guests will be delighted.
Hunt for the ultimate fowl
When looking for a bird, assuming you will serve six people, get a 10-pound organically raised fresh bird (fresh as in "not frozen," lads). The trick here is to ask your friendly butcher to cut the turkey's breasts.
Now, the butcher might know your mom as she visited him often (get your mind out of the gutter), but seeing how this just might be your first visit, be prepared to leave him the change in order to persuade him or her to go this extra mile (hey, why include the "or her" when we talk about CEO's and lawyers only? Women could be butchers too).
Anyhow, the advantage of separating the bird is that each portion of the foul will get cooked to perfection
Cook the components
Leave the skin on, as these four parts should be roasted in order to ensure that they get nice and crisp. Place the meat on a tray, with the skin part facing the sky. Although this may not be customary, we personally add mushrooms, baby carrots, broccoli, onions, and a cup of water. Let the meat sit in the oven for one hour at 350 degrees.
As much as you would like to forget about the bird and down some beers with your buds, you have to visit Big Bird after one hour and baste it, add water and turn the oven to 315 degrees. Now you have one more full hour to drink in peace.
Cook the turkey breast
If you were lucky (and not cheap), then the butcher has already cut the breast into fairly thin filets (not too thin, roughly half an inch) and skinned the foul.
The breasts can be prepared several ways. We shall explore some alternatives; pick your preference and go crazy.
Fry them in a frying pan.
Saute the breast in a pan with vegetables and oil. Stir-fry the strips of turkey breast with cream, butter and white wine. Bread the filets and fry them to get schnitzels. Slap the filets in flour and sautee them (similar to chicken Parmigiana). Whichever style you choose to take with the breast, you will get your succulent, tender and moist meat in less than 10 minutes.
Something on the side
Roasted potatoes aren't just a holiday dish; you can serve them year-round, even alongside meats from the grill during the summer.
So here is an easy way to prepare roasted potatoes:
Wash potatoes
Boil for 30 minutes Before removing them, poke the potatoes with a fork to make sure that they are not undercooked. Cut them in half or quarters depending on their size. Place the potatoes on a tray, add some butter (gentle on the butter... OK, go crazy), and then add some pepper, salt and oregano. Leave in oven at 350 degrees until they are broiled to perfection. (We prefer a nice golden and crispy texture.)
holiday cheer all year
Although we're presenting this as holiday fare, these are recipes you should use all year long. A roasted chicken or goose will respond just as well to these methods as a turkey, thus, as always, put your creative spin on our basic guidelines. Happy holidays!