Brining the Christmas Turkey

It’s only going to be four of us on Christmas Day this year, with a correspondingly smaller turkey.  This is my chance to try out Nigella Lawson’s turkey brining recipe. At almost five and a half kilos, it’s still a lot of bird, but I have visions of endless turkey sandwiches eaten TV-side during the holidays. Cliché though it may be, I think I look more forward to leftovers than the big feast itself.

I felt like a mad scientist as I added all of the ingredients to my biggest stock pot – there was some consternation that it wasn’t going to be big enough and we had a large plastic tub on standby, but the turkey just fit. Now it’s hanging out in our root cellar until Christmas Day, when we’ll dry it off and roast it with a glaze of butter and maple syrup.

Roast Chicken

Whenever I mention that I roasted a chicken on the weekend, I get all sorts of raised eyebrows and impressed noises from people. It’s really simple!

chicken – try to get an organic one
butter (room temperature)
salt
pepper
a lemon

Preheat the oven to 400F. Rinse the chicken under cold water, pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Make sure there are no giblets inside the bird. Place in roasting pan. Rub a small amount of butter all over the bird as though you are moisturizing it. Sprinkle salt and pepper over it. Cut the lemon, squeeze one half over the bird, and stick the other half inside. Roast for 20 minutes per pound plus an extra half hour. It’s ready when the juices run clear, or your meat thermometer registers 180F (insert thermometer into the thickest part of the breast). The leg will be very loose in the socket. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Notes:
If your pan is too big, there is a chance that the butter and chicken fat could burn on the pan’s surface. Then you will need a good exhaust fan, and a partner to wave a magazine under the smoke detector.

I always check the temperature of the chicken during the last half hour of roasting…sometimes it’s done sooner than other times.

Our way of keeping the peace: the carver gets first dibs on the salty, golden skin.

While Jeff carves, I make the gravy recipe that is listed on the box of cornstarch. It’s the one I remember from home.

Source: Nigel Slater, Nigella Lawson

You’re going to need mashed potatoes to go with this.

Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes
Butter
Milk
Salt
Nutmeg

Peel, cut and boil as many potatoes as required. Mash or press through a potato ricer. Mix in as much butter and milk as you like until smooth. Season with salt. Grate nutmeg over top.

Tip: Start your potatoes right after you pop your chicken in the oven. Spoon the mashed potatoes into a heatsafe bowl, cover with foil, and place on top of a pot of simmering water. They will stay hot until it’s time to eat, and you will save your sanity!