Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/197412
dine in WITH Mary Welp Herbed turkey legs Herbing the Bird By Mary Welp Illustration by Carrie Neumayer Guests won't be calling your turkey bland after you've served them these high-favor-octane drumsticks. T o some, they are "caveman pops." To others, they are turkey drumsticks. To me, they're a much easier and tastier way of handling the Tanksgiving Dilemma. We've all been through it. Do you fy away or stay home? If you stay, do you invite fve people or 15 — or 50? Do you buy free-range and local, ordering up well in advance, then rushing of to pay a ransom the very day before the event? Or do you load up a frozen bird well ahead of time to avoid the nuisance? But here is something you may have overlooked to the detriment of your taste buds. At this time of year, the meat department of any decent grocery store is packed to the brim with giant, succulent turkey legs. Why? Because most customers who don't purchase whole turkeys opt instead for the turkey breast, which costs approximately four times as much as the much more favorful drumsticks. Now if you are not a lover of dark meat, this whole column is probably wasted on you, though you might want to stick around for the zesty cranberry sauce recipe. But seriously, the herby, garlicky, golden-crusted hunks of meat that this method yields will make your guests believe they are eating something much more exotic than the bird that is granted the annual Presidential Pardon. Te thing is, with turkey drumsticks, you get the best of both worlds. Unlike chicken legs (which I have also always preferred to the rest of the chicken), turkey legs contain enough wiggle room to allow you to stuf them with a bunch of favor enhancers. Te whole process takes all of 10 minutes. Ten you refrigerate the devils overnight, and the next day when it's time to roast, your main job is to put the pan in the oven and let 'em go. None of that tiresome, worrisome business of meat thermometers, when to put the foil on, when to take it of, or what Uncle Donald says contradicting Aunt Betsy on the correct roasting time per pound of fesh. You can even, if you want, concoct the world's best gravy, simply by adding a glass of wine to the pan drippings once the drumsticks come out of the oven. I have learned my lesson about venturing into the testy territory of stufng, dressing, potato varieties and green vegetables. But I can promise that the spicy cranberry sauce below, a variation on a Martha Stewart recipe (from before her time in the hoosegow), provides the ideal balance and complement to the herbal hit of the turkey legs. While the original recipe called only for lime zest, this one uses lime and orange. Te sauce is almost more like chutney in its consistency, and in fact I have made batches of it for that very purpose. It's not quite possible to convey how fragrant both of these recipes will make your kitchen smell. Not just the kitchen but your whole house. Tese recipes allegedly serve six. Multiplying the number is not at all difcult. 13 4 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 11.13 2 teaspoons sea salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons dried rosemary 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 half-bunch parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon dried sage 6 free-range turkey drumsticks 1 lemon 1 head of garlic Mix all of the herbs in a food processor. Wash the turkey drumsticks and pat them dry with paper towels. Slice the lemon as thinly as possible. Peel the garlic cloves, taking care not to mash them. Rub the herb mixture evenly over each turkey leg. Tuck a lemon slice and two garlic cloves underneath the skin of each drumstick. Place the drumsticks in a large ceramic bowl or sealable bag and refrigerate them overnight. When you're ready to roast them, bring them to room temperature and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Put the turkey legs in a large baking pan, preferably cast-iron. Place the pan in the oven and immediately turn the oven temperature back to 375. Roast for approximately 90 minutes, turning the legs once midway through the cooking time. Remove the pan from the oven and let the legs cool slightly before serving. If you want an extradeluxe reduction sauce to make them even tastier, deglaze the roasting pan (on top of the burner) with three-quarters cup of whatever wine you are serving. Serves 6. (Or two cavemen.) Spicy cranberry sauce 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries ½ cup packed light brown sugar ¹⁄³ cup water 2 whole cloves ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¾ teaspoon grated orange zest ¾ teaspoon grated lime zest 1 tablespoon lime juice A sprinkle of salt In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring cranberries, brown sugar, cloves and water to a rapid simmer. Cook until the berries burst open and the mixture becomes syrupy, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne pepper, the zests and the juice. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate, then serve at room temperature. Serves six.