Gotta Eat! Gobble Gobble Day

Behold, Beta Ray Bill, wielder of Storm Breaker and bringer of turkey!

I hadn't cooked a turkey in quite some time but decided to this year.  I learned that Target sells everything for Thanksgiving...besides turkey.  Bought a nice 14 pounder that advertised being free range, organic something something.  Later while watching Good Eats, Alton Brown said a bird that size would feed 8-10.  I had a party of 3...leftovers!  Growing up, mom and dad used the brine method but that seemed a little too involved for me so I ended up going for an herb rub with salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil mashed together with olive oil.  From there you just stick your hand around under the skin of the breast and thigh to separate the skin and meat then spoon in the slurry.  A quick coating and massage outside and I was ready to cook.  The gizzards and innards got thrown into a frying pan and I enjoyed the enzyme rich organs as a post workout snack.

Another trick I picked up from Mr. Brown was hitting the bird for 30 minutes at 500 degrees to give the skin a nice color and crispy texture.  Then, affix a triangle of tin foil over the breast and continue cooking at 350 until the internal temperature was in the 165 range.  What started as an attempt at mashed cauliflower became simply a cauliflower mash that was pretty tasty and easy to make.  Simply break up the florets into manageable pieces, microwave for 10 minutes then mash with butter, salt, pepper, garlic and a sprinkle of cheese.