TODAY's assistant food stylist Lish Steiling answers some reader questions, including how to get fluffy mashed potatoes and how to clean out the turkey cavity, all for the perfect Thanksgiving feast.
The best way to brine a turkey without a huge pot is to dry brine it. I have been doing my turkey this way for years now. My favorite ratio to use for this comes from chef Judy Rodgers from Zuni Café. She uses ¾ tsp sea salt to each pound of meat. Rinse the bird and thoroughly pat it dry. Season with your measured amount of salt. Be more generous on the thick parts and a tad stingier on the thinner parts. Then, just loosely cover it and refrigerate. This takes up no more space than just storing your turkey for at least 24 hours or up to 48 hours. Before proceeding with your recipe, pat it dry once again and off you go.
The most important thing about cleaning out the bird is to make sure to rinse it well, rip or cut out any loose bits that may be dangling around and then dry the whole bird really, REALLY well. After all, you want to roast it, not steam it. If you find after rinsing there is still some of the pinkish, clear liquid in the cavity just push a few paper towels in there and sop it up as best as you can. That is the secret: paper towels. In my experience, the redness in the cavity will not fully go away until fully cooked, but the liquid should be gone before you begin to prepare it.
I find that to get the fluffiest mashed potatoes, two things should be done. First, after cooking and draining your mashed potatoes, return them to the pot. Over medium heat, stir them with a wooden spoon to dry them out a bit -- around 3-4 minutes will make a difference. They will break up and that is fine, after all you are going to mash them. But something about getting out the extra liquid helps the fluff factor. Second, once they are dried out, use a potato ricer or a food mill. It is very old-school I know, but it will give you the smoothest, fluffiest potatoes you could dream of. Then proceed with the recipe. To store them, place your finished mashed potatoes in a heatproof bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place over a pan of barely simmering (really just steaming) water. You can hold them like that for a good hour or two. Hope that helps!
No onions on the green bean casserole??!! Oh goodness. Well, I would still stay with something that adds texture. Some coarse breadcrumbs toasted in a bit of olive oil or butter would be delicious. Coarsely chopped toasted walnuts or pecans would also add a depth of flavor or perhaps a combination of the two. Of course, if you are not too worried about a healthy option, some crushed thin potato chips would be delicious as well.
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