MAKE AHEAD ROAST TURKEY

According to Barb Westman, to serve the turkey the day after it is roasted

• Roast the turkey as usual

• slice it and put in an aluminum pan

• cover it with the juices

• lay the skin on top

• cover with foil

• refrigerate

• the next day, reheat it at 275 degrees for 1 hours

According to Yvonne Schilplin, it's good to soak the turkey overnight in a brine solution of

• 1 cup salt

• 1 cup sugar

It's important to make sure that the whole turkey is in the solution, probably putting a weight on it to see that it stays covered with the liquid.

So the Thanksgiving schedule is:

TURKEY BLOG

2006 was the first year I tried this approach.  The overnight soak went smoothly; I found that the kitchenette sink held the turkey and brine just fine.  But ...was it supposed to be soaking in the frig overnight?  Maybe the salt-sugar preserves it from spoiling?  Oh, well.  Nobody died, but I'd better address that before doing it again.

The Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes went over very well.  The recipe calls for 6 med potatoes, and I did 12 potatoes for 8 people, but I could have done even more for adequate leftovers. 

Pouring the juices over the sliced turkey made it not dry, and that was the goal, but I found it rather greasy.  Perhaps next time I should put the drippings in the frig to separate, then use more of the greasy part in the gravy and use the other over the sliced turkey.

Also, the turkey we used didn't include a packet for gravy, and I think that's something worth having for next time.  Or at least be more prepared with wondra flour or something.

And ...ask around about all this beforehand.  It's enlightening and fun to do too.

A conversation at the coffeshop yielded the suggestion that the St. John's Lutheran Fall Turkey Dinner they make the turkey a day ahead, slice it, and cover it with wet paper towels to refrigerate before reheating the next day.  That's sounds like a good idea, a variation on covering with the skin; something to check into for the future.