These are not days for traveling over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house. These are days for hunkering down and trying not to get our elders sick. If you are among the people who feel that restrictions are an affront to your personal freedom, then I’m sorry. If you are planning a huge family get together over Thanksgiving, then I wish you luck and I’ll pray for your family’s health.
I suspect that most people who have large gatherings over the holiday will come out ok. After all, those sorts of gatherings don’t mean that everyone who attends is going to get sick – it’s simply an increase to the risk factor. If you and your family are comfortable with that increased risk, that’s up to you as long as you’re willing to mitigate the risk to the rest of us thereafter by wearing a mask when you go out in public.
My wife and I will have a meal with our kids on the day, then we’ll have a visit with our parents at some point and hopefully that will involve multiple desserts. It won’t be the feast we’re used to, but we’ll probably still make more food than we can comfortably eat in one sitting and there will be turkey gumbo by the weekend.
I have always cooked my turkey by spatchcocking it, which is another way of saying that I remove the backbone and flatten the bird out before roasting it. It’s a pretty foolproof way of ensuring that the whole bird cooks evenly. It’s also a convenient way of getting crispy skin, as long as you are willing to get your fingers in between the skin and the flesh when you season it.
This year I believe I will be frying a turkey, albeit a small turkey, as a friend has expressed an interest and I have always wanted to do it. I am already considering what else I might fry in the very large pot of oil that will be required, and the timing involved therein. I will report back once I have figured it out and done the deed, whether it goes well or not.
If you have fried a turkey, and particularly if you have fried a small turkey, I would be delighted to hear the results and will take any advice other than “don’t.”