Getting ready for Thanksgiving, looking back … boy do I EVER personalize a recipe, get all motherfucking descriptive, lol!! LOVE my “roasted potato heaven” line … when’s the last time you read that in a recipe, lol?   ==========================================================

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner 2010

Buy a fresh turkey (13 lb.) (6 kg) a couple of days before. This is a perfect size for 5 or 6 people. Buy at a cheap price!! Peruse the local grocery store flyers for the best bird at the best price. Don’t get caught up in the hoopla of free range, hormone free, or any of the other nonsense associated with higher priced turkeys. This year I went to Fortinos and  bought a Maple Leaf Prime air chilled turkey @ $1.79/lb. and spent $23.82 … had I went with the other, higher priced option, it would have cost me in the $45 range. The point is that is NO DIFFERENCE in quality/taste, and with the money I saved, I got to spend and enjoy on wine.

I also took advantage of the warm weather and bbq’ed the turkey for 45-50 minutes on indirect heat to sear and to facilitate in creating a crispy skinned turkey. I then transferred it onto a cooking rack into a disposable pan and threw it in the oven at 400º for about 2 more hours … until a meat thermometer read 165º when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. I used a finely chopped rub of oregano, rosemary and sage. I stuffed it with an apple, an onion, and a clump of sage. BTW, surprisingly the bbq didn’t add any smokiness, or unwanted flavours into the turkey, which was good.

To Buy:

2 boxes stuffing

3 packets gravy

1 can whole cranberries (2 is good too, especially for leftovers)

1 bag frozen corn

1 bag frozen PC Brussels sprouts

1 bag baby carrots – the bigger bag, not the 1 lb. one

1 bag dinner rolls 20, or 24

1 tetra pack chicken stock

butter – have plenty on hand

potatoes

This year I bought PC fingerling potatoes (2 bags), 1 bag red, 1 bag golden. I parboiled (blanched) them and threw them into the disposable pan after the turkey was cooked, generously sprinkled them with PC 4 peppercorn steak spice seasoning and used all the juices, drippings, and all of the goodness from the turkey to coat them, and then roasting and occasionally sloshing them in the pan for about and hour or so at 425º – 450º  making what I can best describe as … roasted potato heaven!!

Start making the side dishes early!! I cannot emphasize this enough!! You need to do this!! Microwaving them right before serving is the final step … and what a timesaving step it is too. The final 2 things to do, are to warm up the pre sliced foiled buns in the oven to get all hot and steamy, and while you are doing this, is to start making 2 packets of gravy (save the last one for the next day and leftovers).

Addendum:

This fed 5 people eating freely, as much they wanted too, even stuffing themselves. The leftovers lasted for 2 people for 3 more days … and still we had more left. The total bill at Fortinos was $55 … sans the booze and dessert!! Great meal, great feast, great price!!