Miami/Homestead Race day (Pre-Thanksgiving Practice)

A few friends got together on Sunday for the Miami/Homestead NASCAR race.  The last race of the season.  Being so close to Thanksgiving (and Chris needed to practice cooking for a group) we decided to have a “practice” Thanksgiving dinner.  We needed to see if Chris’ cooking would qualify for the big Turkey Day.  

Once we were all gathered at the house and the beers were flowing freely, we fired up the deep fryer.  Chris decided he knew how to roast a turkey and only needed practice with the frying.  No complaints here.  We got the oil on the flame (Note: Please follow all safety precautions when frying a turkey).  To prepare, Chris had soaked the turkey for 24 hours in a brine of water, salt, sugar, and fresh herbs and spices (He wouldn’t tell me, which means he couldn’t remember what he used).  After soaking, he removed the turkey from the brine and thoroughly dried it.  If the bird is still wet when you put it in the oil it can be very dangerous.   Once the oil was up to temp (350º) we slowly lowered the bird into the fryer.  Once fully submerged, we set the timer for 1 hour.  Then we returned to the kitchen to prepare the sides.

The side dishes included home made stuffing, corn casserole, and mashed potatoes.  All three were Chris’ own home made recipe.  Once the sides were complete and the bird was done it was removed from the oil and allowed to rest breast side down for 10-15 minutes.  Then the carving began.  Two guys worked feverishly over the turkey to get it carved up.

Once the turkey was carved and the sides were completed, the plating began.  Here is my plate with a dusting of black pepper over just about the entire plate.

The turkey was perfect.  The skin was nice and crispy with an earthy underlying flavor of fresh herbs from the brine.  Every bite was juicy and full of flavor.  The corn casserole was unique, and very tasty.  From what I can tell it was a mixture of corn and cheese (possibly several different kinds) and some seasonings.  The cheese was mild and creamy and every bit of corn burst in my mouth adding both texture and flavor.  The stuffing was made with toasted bread cubes, ground sausage, home made chicken stock, and seasonings consisting of salt, pepper, and herbs.  The stock was just poured over the top of the uncooked stuffing and not stirred in.  It was then baked until the top started to brown and it was hot all the way through.  Then it was stirred before serving.  This method added a very nice texture to the stuffing as some cubes of bread were soft from the stock and some were more toasted from the heat of the oven.  It was delicious.  Finally, the mashed potatoes.  They were smoother than I usually make them and the skins had been removed.  They were still very tasty, especially after topping them with some turkey gravy.

All in all, it was a good practice lap for Thanksgiving.  Even Sparky got to eat some! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!