I never got around to making the final post of this set. So, here, before doing a Xmas dinner post, is the last part of my procrastinator’s Thanksgiving.
Pie is done. Dressing is done. Cranberry relish is done. Spatchcock cooking time estimates are much faster than traditional, so I was able to take a bit of a break from cooking.
Spatchcocking the turkey
T
he first question was what pan to use. I needed something that was big enough to hold the bird after it was butterflied. Usually we use our roasting pan, but that wouldn’t be large enough. We also have rimmed cookie sheets, but I didn’t have a suitable rack. Then I remembered the broiler pan that comes with most ovens.
The bird had been sprinkled with kosher salt the night before. The actual spatchcocking is pretty easy with a pair of poultry shears. Just cut along the spine on both sides and then crack the carcass to spread it out. It did come out slightly crooked, though.
Into the oven.
To be honest, since I forgot to write this in real time and didn’t keep a good lab notebook, I forget what temperature I used, but it was somewhere between 400 and 450 F. Here’s how it came out. This method is really fast; I overshot the time slightly cooking for just over an hour. It was just slightly saltier than I would like; I might skip or adjust the dry brine next time.
Mashed potatoes
While the turkey was cooking, I made mashed potatoes. I decided to try using our food mill. They were fine, but at least with our discs it is not true that the peels will be left behind in the food mill (which is part of why I wanted to try it).
Final notes
Despite not planning ahead, we had a nice Thanksgiving dinner, and overall the multitasking wasn’t too bad. I also had enough leftover pie dough to make an apple tart over the weekend.
On to Xmas dinner!