Thanksgiving, part two

For the bird: fresh sage, dry rub, garlic, butter, honey, stock, bourbon. remove the bird from the brine and rinse it thoroughly inside and out. Pat dry. Cream together softened butter, snipped sage and minced garlic.  Use your fingers to carefully seperate the skin from the flesh, creating a pocket on either side of the breast.  Put the butter mixture into these pockets, pressing with your fingers to distribute as far as possible.  See how the whole breast area looks yellow now?  Thats the herb butter.  Dress the outside of the bird with melted butter, honey, bourbon and dry rub mixture.  Put into a preheated 500 degree oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

For the garlic mashed potatoes: diced red potatoes with some skin left on, garlic, onion chives, milk, truffle butter and S&P.

For the dressing: dried herbs, celery, onion, parsley, baguette, stock, butter and S&P.

After 30 minutes, baste the bird with honey and bourbon and return to the oven.

For the bean dish: haricot vert, half & half, mustard seed, mushrooms, onion, buckwheat flour (I made this by grinding hulled buckwheat in a spice grinder), olive oil, nutritional yeast and S&P.

Toast the bread for the dressing. Saute the celery, onion, herbs and spices.  Moisten with stock, then put the pan in the oven with the bird.

Remove the bird when the internal temperature reaches 155-160 degrees – it will continue to cook a little while on the counter.

Boil the potatoes.  Drop the bundle of beans in the same pot for 3 minutes, then remove to a bowl of ice water.

Dredge thinly sliced onions in seasoned buckwheat flour and fry in olive oil until golden brown.  Set aside to drain.

Saute the beans and mushrooms.  Add half & half and cracked mustard seed and reduce over medium-low heat until thickened.  Season with S&P.

Mash the potatoes with milk, onion chives, garlic and truffle butter. Season with S&P.

Assemble the plate: thick slices of honey bourbon roasted fowl, bread dressing, green beans with mushrooms and fried onions, garlic mashed potatoes with pan gravy and cranberry rhubarb chutney with sliced persimmon.  Serve with a glass of chilled hibiscus mead.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦