You're hosting Christmas dinner. You're making a turkey. It's not question or an option; it's just a fact. Because Christmas without a turkey is just … another ordinary day. And we don't need another one of those.This isn't to say you have to roast a classic whole bird, though you might be a traditionalist. In that case, we've got a recipe for the perfect turkey that'll make your dinner feel Rockwellian as fuck. Crispy skin, juicy meat, and no brine necessary.
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Now, that's just fine and dandy, but if you're sick of predictable, straightforward fowl, we don't blame you. It only takes a few minutes of extra work to stuff your turkey with, say, sticky rice and Chinese sausage.
If you're trying to get extra-fancy with your turkey, consider something a little more dramatic—maybe a bowl of chestnut soup topped with crispy turkey thighs?
Or maybe a regular ol' roast bird is just too damn healthy. We've got a solution for that, too—braise your turkey in beer and duck fat (kind of meta, no?), then deep-fry some turkey balls. A big pile of these makes one hell of a centrepiece.
None of these weird enough for you? Then just say "fuck it" and serve a turkey and sweet potato pizza. Two birds, one stone. If you're not quite anti-establishment enough to serve this at Christmas, it makes a mean leftover solution.
Speaking of leftovers—you could, of course, go with the tried-and-true turkey sandwich. Or you could do yourself a favour and turn that leftover meat into turkey tikka masala. The choice is yours.
At this point, you might just want to roast an extra bird and ensure a whole week of killer leftover magic. Including this tangy, warming turkey pozolewith lime and coriander.
And after that, when you inevitably make a massive batch of turkey stock, blow some minds by using it to make turkey stock baguette. It's a thing.
If you're not in a tryptophan-induced coma come December, you're doing something wrong—so peep the rest of our turkey recipes and make sure you do Christmas proper.