NO PEPPER, NO GARLIC, NO ONION, NO LEMON, NO SPICES, NO DRIED HERBS, NO NOTHING (or almost) . . . but why ?

Because it’s easy to appreciate and be grateful & thankful for fancy & wonderful & complex things, but how about the simpler things, or even the SIMPLEST THINGS ?!

It all began with HERBS, many, many, many herbs. I initially wanted to flash-fry them and sprinkle them on top of the roast turkey legs and potatoes, like precious emeralds. As you can see in the photos, the many herbs and lemon are all there (and those are just the things I bought, not to mention the mint and chives and thyme growing in the garden) . . . and then what happened ?!

I changed my mind. I decided that I wanted to prepare a very simple meal, an honest meal where the predominant tastes were the main ingredients : the turkey & the potatoes with no lingering nor accentuating nor additional flavors and very CRISPY SKINS !!!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, next Monday in Canada and 6 weeks later on a Thursday in the U.S.A. Some of us don’t need a whole huge turkey to feed an army or would just like to eat part of a turkey sometimes (I also sometimes use this preparation method for chicken legs too, with or without added dried spices) …

So I decided to DRY-BRINE ! Dry-brining is a way to prepare and marinate your meats without plunging them into a salty liquid. The white vinegar (that you won’t actually taste) as well as the salt will penetrate the skin & meat and create a very crispy outer skin and moist and tender meat around the bone. The baking powder also helps in drying out and sealing the skin to prevent excess evaporation from the meat inside.

Now of course, when I do a regular more complex dry-brine, I add ground garlic and onion powders, some dried herbs and spices and pulse them into a fine powder. You want to use dry stuff for the turkey or chicken or other meats and only add some shine in the end, (just at the moment you serve the dish) by brushing the meat with the juices and some plain olive oil or butter (or herb-infused versions) to avoid un-crisping the skin and making it soggy …

And what about all those fresh herbs I wanted to use ? Well I changed my mind again, even though I was tempted to use them with everything. Why not just make an herb salad with some peppery arugula (because it’s almost like an herb). When I was preparing the salad, I automatically grabbed a lemon and some scallions and garlic and then put them all away again. I was going to stick with the salt, white vinegar (no, not even balsamic vinegar) and olive oil. This simple herb salad satisfies that need that we may have for complementing and complexifying the meal flavors without dominating the main course …

The meal is SIMPLE, just like the PHOTOS . . . (nothing fancy, no color accents, no cool backdrops, nor superfluous accessories), just UNASSUMING & HUMBLE & HONEST.

No guest eating this will be saying : “Is that sumac or sage or saffron or pepper from sichuan I taste ?” ... "Nope my darling, just salt & white vinegar !" … But they may comment on how good, simple, moist, tender and crispy-skinned the turkey is and tastes, along with the potatoes and herb salad and a nice glass of COLD BEER (well, we loved it, maybe you will too).

Have a happy & wonderfully 'simple' THANKSGIVING (soon or later) … :)

bare essentials : naked roast turkey legs & potatoes & its herb salad

07.10.2016

2/3

ingredients

2 turkey legs with thighs & skin on (1,2 kg / 2 x 600 grams or replace with 6 chicken legs x 200 grams each)
2 tbsp (32 grams) sea salt (not fine, not coarse, in between)
2 tsp (8 grams) baking powder
4 tbsp (60 ml) white vinegar (or use a combination of lemon juice & vinegar)
2 tbsp (28 ml) olive oil (for the baking dish, you can use a neutral oil)

14 baby potatoes (800 grams)
2 liters of water (for boiling)
2 tbsp (32 grams) coarse sea salt
2 tbsp (30 ml) white vinegar
vegetable oil (for frying)

2 cups (50 grams) fresh herbs (I used fresh chives, dill, mint, flat-leaf parsley, basil, coriander and tarragon leaves)
2 cups (50 grams) arugula
½ tsp (3 grams) salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) white vinegar
2 tbsp (28 ml) olive oil

instructions

place a rack on top of a baking dish, pour vinegar on top of each turkey leg on all sides, let sit 10 minutes, recuperate vinegar from the baking dish and re-pour on all sides again, repeat 2-3 times, then let partly dry at room temperature for 15 minutes
combine the sea salt (if using very coarse salt, place inside a food-processor and pulse until finer) with the baking soda and sprinkle evenly on all sides of the turkey legs (do not coat completely nor create a thick crust)
place the turkey legs on the rack and inside the refrigerator for at least 12 hours or ideally for 24 hours (if leaving for longer or up to 48 hours, it's even better but loosely cover with plastic film, to avoid too much evaporation or drying out of the meat, not the skin)
remove turkey legs from the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before baking and preheat oven to 230°C
prepare unpeeled & washed potatoes by placing in 2 liters of water with the salt and the vinegar in a large pot, turn heat on to maximum and wait to reach the boiling point (about 10 minutes) then let boil for 15 minutes until more tender
remove potatoes, drain and rinse under cold water, then slightly smash or flatten with a heavy-bottomed glass and fry in 1 cm of vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes on each side to create a crispy crust, remove potatoes from the pan and set aside
pour 2 tbsp of olive oil in the baking dish that is under the brining rack, place the brining rack on top of a baking dish with the turkey legs in the middle rack of your oven, broil the underside of the turkey legs for 10 minutes at 230°C, then turn over and broil the topside for 7 minutes, then switch off broil and bake normally at 230°C for an additional 20 minutes until well cooked and crispy
in the meantime, place the fried potatoes on a baking dish and place in the oven for 5 minutes to reheat before the turkey legs are ready
to prepare the salad, prepare the simple dressing and combine the arugula with the fresh herbs (leave the leaves whole and only chop up the chives in smaller pieces), toss the salad with the dressing
remove the turkey legs and potatoes from the oven, slightly brush the turkey legs with the juices at the bottom of the baking dish, serve with the smashed potatoes and the herb salad … and a tall glass of bière.

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