Experts from "America's Test Kitchen" joined "Good Morning America" on Monday to kick off a Thanksgiving Takeover.
On Monday, co-hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison shared a method for butterflied turkey with sausage dressing along with two sheet-tray side dishes for roasted Brussels sprouts with chile, mint, and peanuts, and crispy smashed potatoes.
Check out the full recipes below and even more Thanksgiving tips and reminders here.
Serves: 10 to 12
Total time: 4 1/2 hours, plus 16 hours for brining and chilling
Why this recipe works: To cook a turkey in two hours without filling the kitchen with smoke and drying out the breast meat, we developed a butterflied turkey recipe, which gave us crisp skin and evenly cooked meat. For smoke prevention, we roasted our butterflied turkey set over the stuffing -- which absorbs the drippings -- in a broiler pan. A high oven temperature of 450 F got the job done in 90 minutes.
Before you begin: If you prefer not to brine your turkey, we recommend a kosher bird. If you don't own a broiler pan top or if yours does not span the roasting pan, try a sturdy wire rack that rests comfortably on top of a 12-by-16-inch disposable roasting pan. Cover the rack with a large sheet of heavy-duty foil, fold excess foil under, spray it with nonstick cooking spray, and, with a paring knife, cut slits in the foil for fat drainage.
Ingredients
Turkey
2 cups kosher salt or 1 cup table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 turkey (12-14 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly; giblets, neck, and tailpiece removed and reserved for gravy, and turkey butterflied
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Sausage dressing
12 cups (unsweetened) cornbread broken into 1-inch pieces (include crumbs), or 18 cups 1-inch challah or Italian bread cubes (from about 1 /2 loaves)
1 3/4 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
12 ounces bulk pork sausage, broken into 1-inch pieces
3 onions, chopped fine (about 3 cups)
3 ribs celery, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Directions
Dissolve salt and sugar in 2 gallons cold water in large stockpot or clean bucket. Add turkey and refrigerate or set in very cool spot (not more than 40 F) for 8 hours.
For the dressing
While turkey brines, adjust one oven rack to upper-middle position and second rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 250 F. Spread bread in even layers on 2 rimmed baking sheets and dry in oven, 40 to 50 minutes for challah or Italian bread or 50 to 60 minutes for cornbread.
Place bread in large bowl. Whisk together stock, half-and-half, and eggs in medium bowl; pour over bread and toss gently to coat so bread does not break into smaller pieces. Set aside.
Heat a heavy-bottomed, 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage loses its raw color, 5 to 7 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer sausage to medium bowl. Add about half of onions and celery to fat in skillet; sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion-celery mixture to bowl with sausage.
Return skillet to heat and add 2 tablespoons butter; when foam subsides, add remaining celery and onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, sage and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add salt and pepper. Add this mixture along with sausage and onion mixture to bread and stir gently to combine, trying not to break bread into smaller pieces.
Spray disposable aluminum 12-by-16-inch roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dressing to roasting pan and spread in even layer. Cover pan with foil and refrigerate until needed.
To prepare the turkey for roasting
Set slotted broiler pan top on top of roasting pan with foil-covered dressing and spray with nonstick cooking spray; set roasting pan on baking sheet to support bottom. Remove turkey from brine and rinse well under cool running water. Butterfly and position turkey on broiler pan top; thoroughly pat surface of turkey dry with paper towels. Refrigerate turkey and dressing, uncovered, 8 to 24 hours.
To roast turkey with dressing
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 F. Remove broiler pan top with turkey and foil cover over roasting pan; replace broiler pan top with turkey. Brush turkey with melted butter. Place entire assembly with turkey in oven and roast until turkey skin is crisp and deep brown and instant-read thermometer reads 165 F when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 F in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 100 minutes, rotating pan from front to back after 40 minutes.
Transfer broiler pan top with turkey to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, place roasting pan with dressing back in oven, and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool dressing 5 minutes, then spoon into bowl or onto turkey serving platter. Carve turkey and serve.
Tips
- A brine of 2:1 salt and sugar ensures super juicy meat.
- Spatchcocking helps the bird cook in just 2 hours.
Serves: 4 to 6
Total time: 45 minutes
Why this recipe works: There are a few ways to achieve crispy, caramelized Brussels sprouts that are tender on the inside -- pan frying and deep frying among them -- but the simplest and most foolproof method is roasting. We start out roasting them on a sheet pan, covered in foil, with some water to steam-cook them a bit. We then remove the foil and continue to roast, and the exteriors dry out and caramelize.
Before you begin: If you can find only large sprouts (greater than 1 1/2 inches in diameter), quarter them instead of halving them.
Ingredients
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Fresno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
4 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Directions
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 F. Toss Brussels sprouts with oil, water, salt, and pepper in bowl. Arrange sprouts in single layer, cut-sides down on a rimmed baking sheet.
Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until Brussels sprouts are well browned and tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk Fresno chile, lime juice, and fish sauce together in bowl. Remove brussels sprouts from oven, drizzle with chile mixture and gently toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer sprouts to large plate, sprinkle with peanuts and mint. Serve.
Serves: 4 to 6
Total time: 1 1/2 hours
Why this recipe works: Crispy smashed potatoes deliver mashed potato creaminess with the crackling crisp crust of roasted potatoes. How? We use one sheet pan to roast them and another to smash them. The technique is straightforward: Skin-on spuds are parcooked in seasoned water, drained, and squashed just shy of a half-inch thick. To smash all the potatoes at once, we use a second baking sheet to press evenly and firmly on top of the pan of parcooked potatoes. Then we drizzle the potatoes with oil, season them, and spread them out on a baking sheet in the oven to render the roughened edges browned and crispy and the interiors creamy and sweet.
Before you begin: Choose potatoes that are 1 to 2 inches in diameter. We developed this recipe with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton kosher salt, which is denser, use only 3/4 teaspoon. We like to use kosher salt here but you can use 1/2 teaspoon table salt if you prefer.
Ingredients
2 pounds small red potatoes
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Adjust oven racks to top and lowest positions and heat oven to 500 F. Spread potatoes on rimmed baking sheet, then pour 3/4 cup water over top. Cover sheet with aluminum foil, crimping edges tightly (using 2 sheets and overlapping in center if necessary) and bake on lower rack until skewer or paring knife slips in and out of potatoes easily, 25 to 30 minutes (poke skewer through foil to test). Remove foil and cool for 10 minutes. If any water remains on sheet, blot dry with paper towel.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over potatoes and roll to coat then space potatoes evenly over sheet. Place second baking sheet on top; press down uniformly on sheet to crush potatoes until roughly 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper; drizzle evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Roast potatoes on upper rack for 15 minutes. Transfer sheet to lower rack and continue to roast until well browned, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
Tip: The best way to roast potatoes if you love crispy edges is to smash the potatoes all at once using a baking sheet.
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