After the turkey, many people place high emphasis on the bread stuffing, or dressing, as it's called in the South. The recipe below is a good, moist basic stuffing that's suited to Midwestern tastes favoring white-bread cubes flavored with onion, celery and sage. Eggs are optional, but be sure to use a well-flavored turkey stock or chicken broth as the major moisture. This extra flavor helps make up for not actually stuffing the bird to avoid overcooked breast meat.
If you like, add peeled, chopped and butter-sauteed chestnuts or apples to the dressing. Another idea is to add a pint of strained oysters, mixing some of the oyster liquid with the turkey stock.
Next in line is a creamy mashed-potato dish to help soak up some of the turkey gravy. Some families who usually serve sweet potatoes actually insist on these, too.
There's confusion about the best type of potato for mashing. Ohio State University food scientists recently took 14 cultivars of russet potatoes with names such as Yukon Gold, Dark Red Norland and Superior. Russets are oblong baking potatoes.
They cooked them in a laboratory the same way you would at home, then they mashed them with scientific accuracy, finding that each cultivar not only tastes different, but some cultivars are grainier, providing unique texture.
Supermarkets usually don't identify russet cultivars, except for Yukon Golds, so pick any russet and don't take full blame for a lumpy mash.
As for the onions, prepare them a day ahead and gently reheat them. Boil fresh green beans ahead of time, too, then reheat by sauteing them in a large skillet with a melted pat of butter.
Recipes:
Creamy Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
Sage Dressing
Sliced Vidalias in Cream
Quick Corn Relish
Creamy Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 lbs. (6 medium) russet potatoes (bakers), peeled and cut into chunks
3/4 cup evaporated milk, light cream or buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt
ground white pepper
sliced green onions for garnish
bacon bits for garnish
Preparation:
Place potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes or until tender enough to mash. Drain. Return pan to heat and drive moisture from potatoes, shaking pan.
Use a hand-masher on the dried potatoes. Add milk and butter. Beat with a hand-held mixer until smooth, or simply use a hand-masher for more rustic texture. Blend in cheese and season to taste. Transfer potatoes to a warm serving bowl and garnish the top with more cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
If you're making this dish ahead of time, cover well without the garnishes and chill up to one day. Reheat in a microwave or place in an ovenproof dish and heat in a 350- to 400-degree oven for 30 minutes. Garnish and serve. This recipe may be doubled.
Yield: 6 servings
Sage Dressing
Recipe from The Perfect Recipe: Getting It Right Every Time, by Pam Anderson (Houghton Mifflin, 1998).
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
2 medium onions, cut fine
2 celery ribs, diced
1 lb. sliced firm white bread or sourdough cut into 1/2-inch cubes
(10 to 12 cups) dried out or toasted lightly
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. rubbed sage or 1 Tbs. minced fresh leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme or 1 Tbs. fresh leaves
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth or turkey stock
2 eggs, optional for firmer texture
Preparation:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat butter in a large skillet; saute onions and celery for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl. Add bread cubes that have been dried out for two hours, then toasted on a baking sheet for 15 minutes--stirring occasionally--at 400 degrees. Add herbs, salt, pepper, broth and eggs. Toss to combine. Do not make ahead. Turn into a three-quart greased casserole dish and bake at 350 until top forms a crust--30 to 40 minutes.
Yield: 10 cups
Sliced Vidalias in Cream
Recipe adapted from Claudia Schlottman of Macon, Ga., who contributed her prize sweet-onion recipe to The Vidalia Sweet Onion Lovers Cookbook, by Vidalia grower Bland Farms (Bland Farms, 1996).
Ingredients:
4 cups sliced sweet onions
4 Tbs. butter, divided
2 Tbs. flour
salt, cayenne pepper
2 cups half-and-half
grated nutmeg or Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Saute onions in two tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet until crisp-tender. Set aside. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt remaining two tablespoons butter and stir in flour. Let bubble and cook two minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in light cream gradually.
Return to burner and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sauce is lightly thickened. Season with salt, cayenne. Add onions and heat through. This dish may be made a day ahead and reheated after stirring well. Transfer to a serving dish and top with grated nutmeg or Parmesan.
Yield: 6 servings
Quick Corn Relish
Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 small onion, minced
10 oz. of frozen corn kernels
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
Preparation:
In medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, turmeric, salt, vinegar, water, onion and corn. Make sure to thoroughly blend in cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in bell pepper. Chill. This dish can also may be made days ahead.
Yield: 2 cups
)
)
)
)
