ROASTED TU RKEY BREAST
AND BRAISED TU RKEY LEGS
Recipes begin on page 208
To balance cooking
and socializing, Justin
prepares much of the
meal ahead of time.
“Usually when hosting Thanksgiving,
you run around the kitchen all day,
not spending time with guests,”
Justin says. “However, this menu can
be prepped a few days in advance, so
there’s very little to do once guests
show up—other than pour wine and
make sure everyone feels at home.”
Justin alleviates Thanksgiving
Day stress by preparing the turkey
in stages. “I cook the legs ahead of
time,” he says. “Otherwise the
turkey breast dries out while
waiting for the legs to finish.” His
method not only saves space and
time but also yields a rich braising
stock to make pan gravy, (for his
technique, see
page 212).
“The gravy and dressing are the
richest parts of the meal,” he says.
“Other side dishes—salads,
vegetables, even sweet potatoes—
are lighter and balance the menu. I
don’t want to put people into a food
coma. I want them to be a little
hungry for leftovers later on.”
Traditional dishes—sweet potatoes and
marshmallows, for example—m
ix with
inventive variations of old favorites, such as
wild-rice-studded butternut squash
dressing. Although the menu is m
inus
pumpkin pie, Justin brings the fall fruit to
his corn bread,
opposite.
