Marisa Sung’s Family Thanksgiving Recipes

These recipes are my late Nana’s infamous creations! She worked at Buckingham Palace along with her elder sister Ellen before leaving for the USA!

Bourbon Turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing and turnips.

Bourbon Turkey
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons snipped fresh marjoram or 2 teaspoons dried marjoram, crushed
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 14 pound turkey
1/4 cup bourbon
Salt
Pepper
Fresh herbs
Kumquats

Steps:
1. For glaze, combine butter, brown sugar, marjoram, and lemon peel in a small mixing bowl.
2. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Using your fingers, separate turkey skin from breast meat, being careful not to tear skin or pierce meat. Spread about half of the glaze over the breast meat under the skin.
3. Melt remaining glaze; cool slightly. Stir in bourbon. Brush mixture over outside of turkey. Season turkey with salt and pepper. Pull neck skin to back and fasten with a short skewer. Tuck drumsticks under the band of skin that crosses the tail. If there isn’t a band, tie drumsticks to tail. Twist wing tips under back.
4. Insert a meat thermometer in the center of an inside thigh muscle. The thermometer bulb should not touch bone. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast in a 325 degree F oven for 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees F. After 3 hours, cut the skin or string between drumsticks. Remove foil the last 30 minutes of roasting to let bird brown. Turkey is done when drumsticks move very easily in their sockets and their thickest parts feel soft when pressed. Remove turkey from oven and cover loosely with foil. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. If desired, garnish platter with fresh herbs and kumquats. Makes 12 to 15 servings.

Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
• 2 pounds russet, Yukon gold, or long white potatoes
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup milk, or cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Steps:
1. Peel and cut potatoes into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water; add 1 tablespoon salt. bring to a simmer. If using a potato ricer, fill another saucepan with water; place over low heat. Keep potatoes at a low simmer until a knife slips in and out easily. Drain potatoes in a colander. Place milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. If using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, proceed to Step 4. If using a potato ricer, place a heat-proof bowl or top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Press hot, drained potatoes through ricer into bowl.
3. Stir potatoes with a wooden spoon until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a whisk, incorporate butter. Drizzle in hot milk, whisking continuously. Add pepper, nutmeg, and salt to taste; whisk to combine. Serve immediately.
4. For the electric-mixer method, transfer hot, drained potatoes to bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed, until most lumps have disappeared, about 1 minute. Add butter; mix until blended. On low speed, add hot milk in a slow stream, then add pepper, nutmeg, and salt to taste. Mix to combine.

Turnips:
Ingredients:
• Kosher salt, as needed
• 1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into a large dice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Steps:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. When boiling, add turnips, cooking until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes (Use a knife to check the tenderness of the turnips.).
2. Drain water from turnips, adding turnips back into pot. Add butter, sugar, pepper and salt. Mash the turnips with butter and seasonings using a potato masher, until reaching a desired consistency. Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve.

Cornbread Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
1/3 cup diced liver (chicken or turkey)
6 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
3 cups hot reduced-sodium chicken broth
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for dish

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add liver; cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, cornbread, and sage.
3. Pour broth over mixture; stir just until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a buttered 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish.
4. Dot with butter. Bake until golden brown on top and crisp around edges, 40 to 45 minutes.

Go for a five mile walk after consuming this meal because then comes the dessert(s)! Luckily it only happens a few times a year! LOL

Dinner at Downton Abbey