Recipe: Not Your Grandma’s Thanksgiving

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We have our very own 'Thanksgiving Parade' of plates, as we bring you 'Turkey Porchetta' with 'Goat Cheese & Scallion Potato Puree' and 'Glazed Cranberries'- it's 'Not Your Grandma's Thanksgiving'! Recipes are from Eric McHugh, he's Executive Chef at Flor Fina in the Hotel Haya in Ybor City. For Chef Eric's previous appearance when he made Chorizo Meatballs, click here.

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Sage Pesto

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp kosher Salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 3 sage leaves
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 1 bunch chives
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 2 tsp lemon zest

Directions

Place all ingredients into food processor & blend until smooth.  Set aside to use in Turkey Porchetta.

Turkey ‘Porchetta’

Ingredients

  • 1 whole skin-on turkey breast, deboned, reserve bones for stock or gravy
  • kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 oz sage pesto
  • 12–15 slices thick-sliced bacon

Directions

Carefully remove entire skin from outside of turkey breast, making sure to leave completely intact, and set aside.

If using a bone-in turkey breast: starting from center of breast bone, working outwards, with a fillet knife, remove breast meat from rib bones.  

Remove tenderloins or "fillets" gently by hand.

Butterfly each breast, starting from widest part of the breast, and spread open to make meat uniform in thickness. 

Lay turkey skin out flat on a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap.  Place butterflied breasts, facing opposite directions, on top of the skin, slightly overlapping.  Use reserved tenderloins to fill in v-shaped gaps at top and bottom. 

Using a very sharp knife, gently score turkey about ½" deep, across the entirety of the meat about 1" apart.  Then repeat at a 45-degree angle from the first direction.

Season turkey with salt and pepper, and then rub sage pesto all over scored side of meat, making sure to get pesto down into all scores.

Carefully roll up turkey breasts like a jelly roll, to form a long log, using skin to help on outside.  Be sure to position seam on bottom side when done.  

Using butcher’s twine, tie up breasts at even intervals, about 1-1/2 inches apart.  Apply pressure while tying so that porchetta holds a nice round shape, but not so tightly that it bulges when cooking. 

Wrap up tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rest in refrigerator for 2 hours - overnight.  

Preheat oven to 325 °F.

Allow turkey porchetta to reach room temperature for an hour while oven is heating.

Season outside with salt and pepper, and roast turkey porchetta for 40–45 minutes until the skin starts to get golden and crispy.  

Lay out bacon slices, overlapping by ⅓s, on plastic wrap.  Carefully remove turkey from oven, place it on bacon strips, and roll turkey porchetta in bacon, making sure to have overlapping seam of bacon on bottom when returning to baking sheet.  

Continue to roast bacon-wrapped porchetta for another 30–40 minutes, until center of porchetta reads 140 °F.  

Increase oven temperature to 400 °F for final 5–10 minutes of cooking to crisp up bacon and bring internal temperature up to 150 °F.  

Remove porchetta from oven, transfer to platter, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest/carry over cook for 30–40 minutes before slicing.  

Glazed Cranberries

Ingredients

  • 1 bag fresh cranberries (12 oz)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¾ cup cranberry juice
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup apple cider
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

Combine butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, cranberry juice, cider vinegar, cider, brown sugar, salt and pepper in medium sauce pot.  

Place on high heat and bring to boil.  

Once at rolling boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Add fresh cranberries to pot, stir well, return to simmer, allow to simmer for 20 more minutes, stirring frequently.  

Remove from heat and allow to cool fully before serving.

Goat Cheese & Scallion Potato Puree

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
  • 8 oz butter
  • ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ lb goat cheese
  • kosher salt, as needed
  • 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Place potatoes in pot, cover by 1–2 inches with salted water (½ tbsp salt per quart of water), and place on stove on high heat.  

Once boiling, lower heat to medium and simmer potatoes uncovered for around 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender and a paring knife slides in and out of potato easily.

Drain the potatoes in a colander, and spread out on baking sheet. Place potatoes in a 300 °F oven for about 5 minutes to dry out slightly.

Separately place heavy cream and goat cheese in a small pot and place on stove on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, to heat cream and melt cheese.

Working quickly, transfer potatoes to food mill or ricer, and process through. 

Place milled potatoes back into pot, and over medium heat, stir potatoes vigorously for a minute or two to let any excess moisture evaporate.  

Start adding butter, cut into small cubes, into potatoes while stirring vigorously, and allow butter to melt into potatoes and emulsify while mixing. 

Once butter is incorporated, slowly add in cream and goat cheese mixture while stirring vigorously.  

Taste potatoes and add salt if needed (as potatoes were cooked in salted water).

Fold in sliced scallions and serve immediately while piping hot!

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