Most of us of a certain age have aspired to the Rockwellian ideal of the perfectly roasted turkey, garnished beautifully, presented on an heirloom platter to a table surrounded by the smiling and adoring faces of family and friends…….
(images via the internet)
Though not for the lack of trying; for reasons far too numerous to list, this has never been my experience!
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No longer content to spend hours days in the kitchen, my goal is to honor the culinary traditions we as a family have come to love and expect (plentiful gravy for the son with gravy-scarcity issues, for example), but also to
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Spatchcock: a turkey (or other poultry) prepared for roasting or grilling by removing the backbone, splitting open and flattening; a method which shortens the cooking time, and somehow puts to rest the angst of old expectations. Not until reading the article in House Beautiful featuring Tyler Florence, had I ever encountered the technique.
(image via House Beautiful – see Tyler Florence’s Split Roasted Turkey for details)
Put to the test last Thanksgiving by cousin Gail and I; providing a delicious, juicy result, we plan to use the method again this year, each making a spatchcocked turkey to bring to the table.
(Although he and his family will be missed, the son with the gravy-scarcity issues will be at his in-laws……… so even less angst this year!!!!)
Susan Wennerstrom | W designs 