Phew! Why was it so hard to find turkey breasts this year? They're usually not a problem to get, but lately they were nowhere to be seen - until last week. The last couple of holidays, Mom has been buying the hotel style turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. This saves us from having to get rid of a lot of unused meat since none of us enjoy the dark. Mom loves the look of getting the whole turkey because it's like a "real" Thanksgiving dinner, but she just can't stand all the waste. Mom, Mal, and I only eat the breast and Dad eats the legs. Everything else gets tossed, and that's a shame. So finally, after tracking down some Shady Brook Farms turkey breasts at Stop & Shop ($1.49/lb.), we were able to snag two of them - an eight and a nine pounder.
THE VERDICT: Fantastic! The hotel style turkey is just the breast with no legs, wings, or dark meat. All you have to do is roast it in the oven, which Mom usually does for about an hour and a quarter at 350 degrees, and then take it out. In Mom's case, she likes to slice it and stick it in turkey gravy, simmering it on low. The breast comes out beautiful, tender, and tasty. The meat is very moist and there is no waste! You can eat the slices on a plate with all the trimmings, or you can make a delicious turkey and stuffing sandwich (which I love to do). Whatever you do with it, we think you'd be very happy - especially if you're a white meat lover like we are.
