French-Fried Blog Post: French Fry Stuffing

Thor's Turkey Recipe

"We get the turkey from whole foods. We all get it together. Stuff the turkey with French fries. We cook it in the oven at 100 degrees. We cook for an hour. Then we put mashed potatoes on the side before we serve it. We serve it on plates. We make it look like a turkey leg. It smells like a turkey. My grandma and grandpa, my mom and my dad and me eat it. We serve it with tater tots and mash potatoes. We wil have the party at my house. I will have a Sherly temple for me and martinis for grandma and grandpa."

So goes my son's story as told to a 5th grader and pasted onto a construction paper turkey's fan. While we didn't get to see the tail on the tale until the Friday before Thanksgiving, I had been given some advance warning about it when Thor began quizzing me on turkey prep.

"So we get our turkey from Whole Foods?"

"No Thor, we buy it directly from a local farmer."

"We bake it at 100 . . . "

"Well, not exactly."

"for an hour?"

"Certainly, not at 100 degrees."

[Cue frustration, curling brow] "But we'll have tater tots, right?"

"Uh, no." [Cue curled brow for me as I try to remember the last tater tot he ate with me].

[More frustration exhibited and a slightly mobile lower lip] "But, but, but, we do stuff it with french fries."

Of course, the answer was no, but unlike the other questions, there was no logical reason why this one should be answered in the negative.

And thus, the inspiration for this year's true Thanksgiving innovation in our household: French Fry Stuffing.

Obviously, you have to start with French fries. While the French may not have invented the fry, they seemed to have perfected them or at least had the best PR about their fried potato cylinders. Given that, there was no better place to turn to for a recipe than a bistro cookbook: Balthazar Cookbook being my favorite.

French Fries

3 medium russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled
1 quart canola oil
fine sea salt

Slice, by hand or on a mandoline, the potatoes into 1/4-inch strips about 4-6 inches long. As you slice the potatoes, add the strips to a container of cold water. Refrigerate for 12 hours.



Drain the potatoes on clean dish towels for about 20 minutes.



Heat the oil in a large heavy pot to 370 degrees. Add half of the potatoes. The oil will bubble up furiously and drop to about 280 degrees. Cook for 3 minutes. You don't want the potatoes to color. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on crumpled paper towels. Repeat with remaining fries. Increase the heat to 380 degrees. Add half the fries and cook for 3 more minutes until browned and crisp. Remove, drain, repeat, salt. Reserve 2/3 of the fries for stuffing.

Of course, there's no need for all this labor above (I'm just silly sometimes). Get an extra order on the side from your favorite hamburger joint, just don't tell me if they're from McDonald's.

French Fry Stuffing

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 Polish sausage links, quartered
2 medium onions, cut into small dice
¾ cup celery, cut into small dice
4 cups peasant style bread, cubed
Leftover fries, slightly smashed
2 teaspoons sage, minced
1 teaspoon celery leaves, minced
1 teaspoon thyme, minced
¼ teaspoon parsley, minced
2 cups turkey stock



Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the onions and celery and cook until softened and just slightly golden. Combine the onions, celery, and sausage with the bread, leftover fries, and herbs. Salt and pepper to taste. Scrape the mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Ladle the stock over the stuffing. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

The accurate parts of Thor's story? We did serve mashed potatoes (not in the shape of a turkey leg) and Grandma and Grandpa drank martinis.

Provenance
Potatoes from Nichols (IL)
Polish sausage from Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm (IL)
Onions and thyme from Genesis Growers (IL)
Sage from my garden
Celery from Iron Creek (IL)
Turkey stock from turkey from TJ's Poultry (IL)

Gratitude

Thanksgiving has always been the neglected, middle child of the holiday family. Every year we seem to skip right over it and go straight from the gluttony of Halloween to the overindulgence of Christmas. Holiday decorations go up right after Halloween's came down and in some cases side by side. In this tough economic climate, some retailers seem to think that if they foist the holidays on us sooner, we’ll buy more. I was horrified to watch Wal-Mart play what I sincerely hope was its first Christmas ads during the Halloween night game of the World Series. Instead of overspending, let’s give the Jan Brady of the holidays our love this year - enjoy a sustainably-raised turkey and some locally grown veggies, spend time with loved ones and count our blessings.

But before the holiday has come and gone and we're fighting crowds on Black Friday, I'd like to share a few of things for which I'm thankful.

Today? A big freezer.

I very much sympathize with the anxiety Thursday's big meal induces. When I was an attorney working long and unpredictable hours, having company was always a challenge. Finding time to shop and prepare the type of meals that I wanted to make required extensive lists and long nights. Nowadays, things are a bit easier. I can't claim to be any less busy, but a lot of my prepation can be squeezed into my work days. I need a pie crust for a client - make two. I'm testing a recipe for an event or this blog and it turns out well, save it for later. These are the perks that can be preserved with a big freezer or two.

For our gratitude-inspired meal, I'm planning on Beet Choux Puffs with Goat Cheese Mousse and Red Kuri Squash Samosas. While I'll need to mix up the mousse and make a chutney, the major components are done, waiting to be revived, sleeping in the deep freeze. As is our first course, the family favorite - Delicata Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce. Five minutes to boil the water and another 5 to finish the sauce and I've got a plateful of popularity.

Dessert is Pumpkin Pie and Apple Tart Tatin, pastry dough, puff pastry, and pumpkin puree waiting to be defrosted.

Our main course will require considerably more effort. Turkey with French Fry Stuffing (more on thihs later), White Wine Gravy, Brussels Sprouts with Salad Turnips, Pomegranate, and Pistachios, Spinach and Mushroom Gratin, Mashed Potatoes and Cranberry Sauce. But with my focus only on these dishes and an extra set of hands with my mom in town, our dinner will be both feast-worthy and stress-free. Thank you freezer!

Photo Credit, iStockphoto.com

Love Your Veggies!

To make up for my lack of new recipes recently here are three delicious vegetarian side dishes for Thanksgiving, a day of feastial indulgence.

While my household loves its meat, we have quite a few vegetarian recipes in our rotation. Last March, during a period of high stress, my husband, Mike, had an attack of gout, a hereditary condition that is exacerbated by a diet high in protein. From then on, Meatless wasn't just for Mondays anymore.

Here are three delicious vegetarian, even possibly vegan with some simple modifications, dishes for your Thansgiving Table. For more vegetarian recipes for Thanksgiving, check out Focus Organic, which included the following recipe.

Carrot-Quinoa Cakes
6 servings

As pictured above, these little cakes are delicious paired with seared sea scallops. They complement the mollusks delicious sweetness.

3 large carrots
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sautéing
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped onion
3/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked according to the package
3 tablespoons quinoa or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dill, chopped

Peel and slice the carrot approximately 1/2 inch thick. Cover with water in a small saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender approximately 20 minutes. Drain and then puree in a food processor or mash until smooth. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook the onion until softened and lightly caramelized, approximately 6 minutes.. Add the cumin and cook for another minute. Mix the carrot puree, quinoa, onions and flour in a medium bowl. Form into cakes 2-inches in diameter and sauté in olive oil until golden on each side. Mix together the yogurt and dill. Top each cake with a dollop of yogurt.

Brussels Sprouts with Salad Turnips, Pomegranates and Pistachios
4-6 servings

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk of Brussels Sprouts, preferably purple, sprouts removed and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pomegranate juice
1 salad turnip, thinly sliced
¼ cup pistachios, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon pomegranate seeds

Heat the butter or oil in a saute pan and cook the onions slowly until caramelized. Add the Brussels sprouts and stir to coat with the fat. Add the salt, water, and pomegranate juice and cook until the leaves are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and add the turnips, cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve garnished with pistachios and pomegranate seeds.

Broccoli and Roasted Garlic Puree
4-6 servings


Puree seen in the background (advance apologies for its meaty partner).

1 bunch of broccoli, florets separated from the stalks
1 small head of garlic, roasted
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the florets and cook for 3 minutes or until bright green and crisp tender. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and drain. Slice the stalks and add to the water. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until they're tender. Drain. Puree the stalks and half the florets in a food processor with the roasted garlic cloves. Add olive oil and salt and serve garnished with the florets.