Brined Turkey, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Apple Gravy (Mk. II)(A Marriage of Alton Brown and Gordon Ramsay)

Turkey (serves 6-10)This turkey utilizes a combination of both Alton Brown's brined turkey and Gordon Ramsay's butter coated rotisserie style turkey. However, this recipe relies on brining as the primary source of flavor, dueto the more flavorful meat obtained during brining. Due to the heavy use of brining, Ramsay's butter coating is no longer applied underneath the skin, a precautionary measure taken to prevent the seasoning from overpowering the natural taste of the turkey. Ramsay's butter coating is instead used as a replacement for Brown's typical canola oil coating. The use of aromatics is present in both recipes and is presented in its entirety, which only adds Ramsay's lemon to Brown's initial aromatics.

IngredientsTurkeyHerbed Butter375g butter, at room temperature1 tbsp olive oil2 small lemons (zest and juice)3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushedsmall bunch of parsley, leaves only (chopped)

Brine1 cup kosher salt2/3 cup light brown sugar1 gallon vegetable stock (128 oz)3 ½ tsp black peppercorns2 ½ tsp allspice berries3 ½ tsp chopped candied ginger1 gallon iced water (freeze water bottles without label, use to prevent dilution)

Aromatics1 apple, sliced1 onion, sliced2-3 cinnamon sticks1 cup water4 sprigs rosemary8 leaves sage½ lemon

Instructions1. Thaw the turkey in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days before roasting.

2. Make the Brine• Put vegetable stock, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large

stockpot• Heat on medium high heat

◦ Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil• Remove from heat and cool to room temp.

3. Brine the Turkey• Place brine, water, and ice in cooler• Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine1

• Leave turkey in brine for 8-16 hours2

◦ Turn turkey once about halfway through brining3

4. Make the Herbed Butter 4

• Place the butter into a large bowl◦ Season with salt and pepper.◦ Add olive oil and mix well.◦ Add lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic, and chopped parsley.◦ Mix well to combine.

5. Roast the Turkey• Preheat the turkey to 500°F5

• Remove turkey from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water.◦ Discard the brine.

• Place turkey on the roasting rick inside a half sheet pan.6

◦ Dry the turkey with paper towels.◦ Coat the turkey liberally with the herbed butter prepared earlier.◦ Tuck the wings underneath the bird.

• Combine the apple, cinnamon sticks, lemon, and cup of water.◦ Microwave for 3 minutes to steep.7

• Add steeped aromatics and sliced onion to the turkey cavity.• Roast turkey on convection roast at 500°F for 30 minutes.

◦ After 30 minutes, apply an oil coated triangle of foil to the turkey breast.8

• Roast turkey on convection roast at 350°F until epoxy probe indicates the turkey is finished.• Let the turkey rest for as long as it has been roasting.9

◦ Cover the turkey in foil or with a large mixing bowl to keep warm and safe.

1 White meat dries faster than dark meat. Without care, the white meat will become unbearably dry during the cooking process. By allowing the white meat located on the breast to soak in the more concentrated brine towards the bottom, the seasoning has a slightly higher concentration in the white meat. This allows the turkey to retain more water during the roasting process, due to the slightly higher salt concentration.

2 Brining the turkey any longer results in a salty turkey, overly soft meat, and thin skin. Don't do it.3 This ensures that the other end gets brined properly as well. If possible, turn multiple times during brining.4 The butter helps prevent drying out, but unless applied liberally both above and under the skin of the turkey like how

Ramsay calls for in his recipe, will not be able to fully preserve the moisture of the turkey. The primary purpose of the butter in this recipe is to add flavor.

5 The initial 500 degrees roasts the turkey skin and allows for a nice browning color. If the turkey is roasted slowly at a lower temperature, the fat on the outside of the turkey will generally melt off and fail to provide color and crispness. It also holds some of the brine, so a loss of flavor also occurs.

6 The half sheet pan will catch the drippings from the turkey, which can be used to make gravy.7 Instead of stuffing, the addition of aromatics allows for the turkey meat to gain even more flavor. Stuffing also tends to

result in some soggy and weird tasting meat towards the inside if done wrong. It is far safer and tastier to use aromatics.8 This is the primary way that the white meat is kept from drying out during roasting. It slows down the roasting of the

white meat and prevents the escape of moisture from the white meat.9 This is one of the most important parts of preparing the turkey, according to Gordon Ramsay. By allowing the turkey to

sit for as long as it has been roasting, it allows for the turkey to become more tender.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (serves 10-12)This mashed potato recipe is entirely from Alton Brown. A correctly prepared dish of mashed potatoes is neither overly mushy or dry. Keep that in mind as you apply the garlic infused half and half to the potatoes. Also keep in mind that the turkey is already quite flavorful and that the gravy will have it's own flavor as well. Try not to be concerned if the mashed potatoes are too bland on their own.

Ingredients3 ½ pounds russet potatoes2 tbsp salt16 oz (2 cups) half and half (can be replaced with 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup milk)6 cloves garlic, crushed6 oz grated Parmesan

Directions1. Prepare Potatoes

• Peel and dice potatoes◦ Make sure that they're roughly the same size.

• Place in a large sauce pan◦ Add salt◦ Cover with water

• Bring to a boil over medium heat.◦ Reduce heat afterward to maintain rolling boil◦ Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork

2. Prepare Garlic Infused Half and Half• Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering.

◦ Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Mix Garlic H&H with Potatoes• Remove potatoes from heat

◦ Drain off water• Mash and add garlic-cream mixture with Parmesan.

◦ Stir to combine• Allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken, then serve.

Cider Turkey Gravy (makes 2 cups)This recipe from Gordon Ramsay creates a more tart gravy with a hint of sweetness. I personally call for this gravy in this situation due to the fact that the turkey will be saltier and more savory because of the brine, so having some tartness and sweetness in the mix will bring a more complete spectrum of flavors to the table.

IngredientsRoasted Onion from TurkeyLemon from Turkey3 fresh sprigs of rosemary3 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 cup hard apple cider2 cups chicken brothTurkey drippings2 tbsps softened butter2 tbsps flour

Instructions• Drain drippings from roasting pan

◦ Place on stovetop at medium heat.◦ Add onion, lemon from turkey

• Remove turkey tail and saute until lightly browned.• Pour in hard apple cider

◦ Bring to a boil◦ Allow it to reduce by half

• Crush onions, tomatoes, turkey and lemon• Pour gravy through sieve back into pan

◦ Press to extract juice◦ Combine butter and flour into a paste◦ Whisk parts in at a time to thicken gravy to desired consistency

• Gravy will thicken slightly after cooling.