Thanksgiving Recipes

The Thanksgiving feast at the Clarkson house has become a wonderful Alaskan experience. Being so geographically separated from family in the lower 48, we always have lots of friends over for the meal and most of all the fellowship. For the last 4 or 5 years the Leman clan have been regulars at our house for Thanksgiving. Then we try to find folks in our church who for whatever reason don't have other family or friends here with whom to share the holiday, or who just need a place to celebrate.

I am the chef (self-taught amatuer that I am) and I have a fabulous time cooking for everyone. Eating the meal is great, but I find cooking it to be even better. I wanted to share some of the recipes that I have developed and that friends have raved about over the years. These have now become a tradition in our home.

The Basics:

I do 4 turkeys. We usually have 20-24 people over and we send lots of food home with everyone. What would Thanksgiving be without left-overs, right? First, I do a turducken -- that's a duck inside a chicken inside a turkey, a Southern thing that I learned to love through my Virginian Dad and my Louisianan buddy, Dirk. Usually stuffed with some type of Southern, cajun style rice stuffing. You can buy a fully prepared turducken at New Sagaya or on the internet from a reputable shop if you don't want to learn to prepare one yourself (they ship quick, with dry ice). Bakes just like a turkey, but takes longer because it is dense. Start at about 6 AM to eat at 2 or 3 PM, or earlier if you can stand getting up that early.

Then, I do a cajun style deeep fried turkey. Talk about easy -- you buy a deep frier, fill it with peanut oil, heat the oil (monitoring the thermometer so that the oil is not too hot or cold -- either is bad) and then simply pour some cajun spice into the oil right before immersing the turkey. Make sure the turkey is completely dry before immersing and free of all those little packets that they place inside turkeys -- don't use a Butterball -- it has to be dry -- oil and water or other liquids don't mix well. It takes only about 1 1/2 hours to cook a 20 pound turkey. Oh yeah, put the deep frier in the grass in your back yard, make sure the oil is no more than necessary to cover the turkey when immersed (and won't overflow) -- think major fire. DO NOT DO THIS ON YOUR DECK! People have burned their homes down, which is a real bummer on Thanksgiving. Let the turkey cool before carving. The turkey is absolutely delicious, moist and tasty. Don't cook this until about noon (to eat at 2 or 3 PM).

Then, I do my beer turkey. Got the idea from our dear friend Rosa. Just take a normal turkey, thaw it completely. Place a large black garbage bag in your sink, place the turkey inside, pour in beer until the turkey is immersed. I use Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve -- why? Who knows. I like to drink one while preparing the turkey. Then, use your imagination adding other things to flavor the turkey. I use lots of garlic cloves that are crushed a little, onions again cut and crushed a little, whatever herbs you prefer (fresh of course -- basil, oregano, rosemary), salt (not too much, not too little -- you just know some things), lemons or limes sliced, honey, and whatever else hits your fancy. Let it sit there all night. In the morning, empty the bag in the sink of whatever has not soaked into the turkey (carefully -- it can spill -- don't want your kitchen smelling like beer). Then you bake it in a roaster -- I do this in my gas grill, inside a roaster (it will pour liquid as it cooks) -- my grill is like a dutch oven. The beer soaks into the meat over night and then cooks out. Moist and delicious and then the gravy with mushrooms and madiera is fabulous. Start this one at about 6 AM also. I use the other half of my gas grill (again inside a roaster).

Then I do a smoked turkey -- I cheat here -- just order it from Harry and David or Hickory Farms and warm it up.

The Cornbread Stuffing:

Making stuffing is the easiest thing, but very time consuming. Do it the day before Thanksgiving. Make cornbread (I do two large pans). Crumble it in your mixing pan (I use the largest thing I have). Then, dice and saute and add to the mix to your hearts content. Celery, onions, garlic cloves (the garlic and onions that you soaked with the beer turkey can be used here -- no sense wasting), bell peppers orange, red and yellow, a few yellow chili peppers (how many is up to you -- more peppers, more heat, seeds add heat), yams (diced small and sautead until soft). Then add herbs diced up extremely fine (fresh) basil, oregano (can't get enough of that), tyme, sage (again, use the ones you soaked with the beer turkey). Then, spices -- explore your cupboard -- use your imagination -- but think salt, pepper, white pepper, dash of cayenne, nutmeg, cinamon, ground cloves, cumin -- have fun. Fry up some nice crisp bacon, dice it fine and add along with some of the bacon grease. Then, add some Alaskan snow crab, diced up really fine. Add chicken broth to moisten (moist is good, swimming is bad), maybe an egg or two, then mix well. Stuff some inside the turkey and bake the rest in the pan. Mmmmmm, mmmm. Oh my word -- forgot the pecans -- its southern, gotta have pecans.

The Mashed Potatoes:

Use russets, they are soft and easily mashed. Other potatoes do not mash well. Boil them with gralic cloves. Drain the water and then mash the potatoes with the garlic cloves using a little butter milk, one large container of ricotta cheese, a little butter, salt, pepper, an egg or two, and -- really finely diced Alaskan King Crab. Oh yeah! You can make these the day before Thanksgiving also.

Let everyone else bring the veggies and desert. The rolls? That's another recipe alltogether, maybe tomorrow.

Thanksgiving at the Clarkson's, a Southern-Alaskan Style Feast. Stop on by now, you hear, but bring an appetite and some conversation.