Sir Spatchcock, King of the Kitchen and Points Beyond, and his Drip Dry Vegetables

Today, Thanksgiving, is a good day and it is not over.  I saw Santa show up at Macy's and as always, I sniffled with childish joy.  I've been cooking all day, wrestling with Sir Spatchcock.  Since this is the first time I spatchcocked a turkey, there is something of a learning curve going on, but the turkey is delicious and I will definitely make it this way again and again.  It's really just the timing that has to be refined,  Taste and texture are the best I have ever had from a homemade bird.  Since I enjoy cooking, and especially for those I love, every moment is a pleasure.

If you know me, you know that I HATE the telephone.  I much prefer to express myself in writing, but I realize the rest of the world doesn't always understand or appreciate my finger-flapping, and so I actually made some phone calls to wish a happy Thanksgiving to some of my friends and family.  Now I feel all warm and fuzzy and I think I'll just hold on to the feeling for a while.  Thank you cousin Steve, friend Vicki, and sister Nora for receiving my calls so warmly.

We are heading over to my parents-in-law in a few minutes, bearing gifts of food, to share company and conversation.  It doesn't get much better than that.

Meet Sir Spatchcock.  He was delicious.

And the drip dry vegetables about to get the benefit of those natural cooking juices.

These are the spritely biscuits, this time cut into hearts instead of squares.  And there are a few other dishes, but those will come with their recipes down the road.

As you may imagine, I am thankful that I am able to prepare food for my loved ones, but I am most thankful for the family and friends in my life, and at the very top of that list, my husband Robert and my son Cory.

SPATCHCOCKED ROAST TURKEY

1 13 - 15 pound turkey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter
Salt and pepper to taste.
Paprika and granulated garlic to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put turkey on a stable cutting board breast side down and cut out backbone. Turn turkey over, and press on it to flatten. Put it, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Wings should partly cover breasts, and legs should protrude a bit.

Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika.  Place the turkey on the racks over the vegetables.

Roast an hour, undisturbed. Turkey should be browning.  Check the temperature of the thigh meat.  It should be heading up towards 165 degrees.  Keep checking the bird until the breast meat is no longer pink.  At this point you will probably need to separate the thighs and legs from the breast (the spatchcocking makes this relatively easy), and return the dark meat to the oven.  Check every 15 minutes until dark meat is done.  You should not be able to see any red or pink at the joints, and the temperature should easily shoot up to 165 degrees.

Let turkey rest for about 30 minutes before carving.  With a slotted spoon, remove the vegetable to a smaller baking dish and place back in the oven for a few minutes if you like. Serve with the pan juices and the drip dry vegetables.

DRIP DRY VEGETABLES

28 oz. bag new potatoes (mixture of red, yellow, a purple)
3 large carrots, cut crosswise into large chunks roughly size of potatoes
3-4 tablespoons bacon fat or oil
1 pound Brussel sprouts
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the bacon fat, potatoes and carrots in a 9 x 13 baking pan and use a large metal spoon to turn the vegetables so they are coated with the fat.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to cook Sir Spatchcock.  Put the potatoes and carrots into a larger roasting pan (large enough for cooking the turkey.)  Put the pan the vegetables sat in overnight into the preheating oven to melt any remaining bacon fat.  Remove from the oven and add the Brussel sprouts, turn with a spoon so they are coated in the bacon fat, and add to the other vegetables.  Cover the pan with two cooling racks, and add the spatchcocked turkey according to its cooking direction.