Also, it means that you are eating a giant amount of boiled meat. Not too bad for leftovers, but it leaves a lot to be desired vs. a roasted bird.
And just an update, I just cooked my turkey. I ate huge amounts like it was Christmas or Thanksgiving. All I had was turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy, but I didn't compromise on any of them, so they were all extremely delicious.
If anyone wants to know how I made my gravy, here it is:
- You know those innards that you get with your turkey? Neck bone, liver, kidney, heart, or whatever else is in there? Don't throw those away.
- While the turkey is cooking, simmer the innards in a stockpan on the stove. A pretty nasty looking foam will form at the beginning, but all is good after you skim that off. Just let it cruise while you let the turkey cook, and make sure everything in the pan remains covered with water.
- It's about time for the turkey to come out. Turn off the burner, take out the goodies, strip the meat off of the neck bone, and mince them up into tiny bits so no one knows that they're eating heart and liver. Set them aside. Now, you are left with a great broth. This will be your gravy.
- In another pan, preferably one with a large bottom, measure out about eight tablespoons of fat: This can be any combination of drippings from the turkey or butter. It'll be delicious no matter what so use whatever is convenient. Once it has heated up/melted in the pan, add about six tablespoons of flour. Whisk this shit around on medium high heat for a few minutes until it's all combined.
- You know that liver broth? Add about a cup to the fat. It will immediately thicken up into a giant blob. Don't worry; keep adding the liquid a little bit at a time, whisking the whole duration. I do it this way so that everything is all the same consistency: It shouldn't form lumps (because the flour was cooked into the fat) and it all thins out evenly. When it's still pretty thick, add all of the chopped meat. Keep thinning it out with the broth until it looks a little too thin; it will thicken up on its own when it cools a few degrees. This keeps it from becoming brick mortar on the table.
The taters, I just boiled about two pounds of quartered whole red potatoes, drained, added a stick of butter, mashed, some cream, salt, and pepper, and they're done.
