OK. I'm not a WalMart shopper, but they have cheapo turkeys this year, Butterball, no less. Since I'm on the recession budget, I couldn't resist. Bought two.
Last year I did a butterflied turkey. Well, actually, the butcher did the butterflying for me, but you can do it yourself with a good pair of kitchen shears. Mark Bittman says so in his 45-minute turkey recipe.
First I massaged the big bird with butter laced with garlic and herbs, spreading the mixture oh-so-carefully and grossfully between the skin and the meat. Then I put the flattened turkey in the roasting pan, sprawled out and gangly. It was done in 45 minutes, maybe an hour: the skin all golden and crunchy; the meat dribble-down-your-chin moist.
Served it with roasted chunks o' sweet potato and onion wedges, tossed with cooked-till-crisp prosciutto. And dressing, of course, and all the other sides. The turkey wasn't centerpiece worthy, but who carves the turkey at the table, anyway?
