GREASE THERMOMETER RECIPES

Steps:

• Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels. Combine the salt, sugar, dried sage, black pepper, and cayenne in a bowl. Rub the mixture over outside of entire turkey (top, bottom, sides) and inside the cavity.
• Set the turkey on a V-shaped rack in a roasting pan and refrigerate, uncovered, for 48-72 hours.
• Remove turkey from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Meanwhile, combine the butter, garlic, and chopped sage in a bowl. Rub the butter mixture all over turkey, including inside the cavity.
• Tuck the wing tips back under breasts and tie legs together with twine. Set the turkey back on the rack in the roasting pan with the breast side up.
• Pour the water or broth into bottom of roasting pan.
• Place the turkey on rack in lower third of oven, and reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 170°F, 2 3/4 to 3 hours.
• Check to see that turkey is done. Remove from oven or add time as needed.
• Set the turkey on a platter and let stand for 30 minutes before carving. Tuck fresh sage sprigs around turkey for serving, if desired.

Steps:

• Pour enough oil into a deep fryer to reach at least halfway up the sides of the pan but not more than three-quarters of the way up. Heat the oil to 325°F.
• Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Dry all the pieces thoroughly in a clean dish towel. This will keep th oil from splattering. Divide the potato sticks into batches of no more than 1 cup each. Do not fry more than one batch at a time.
• When the oil has reached the desired temperature, fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should be lightly colored but not browned. If your fryer has a basket, simply lift it out the remove the fried potatoes. Otherwise, use a long-handled skimmer to lift out the potatoes. Be sure to bring the temperature of the oil back to 325°F in between batches. At this point the fries can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them.
• Heat the oil to 325°F. Fry the potatoes in 1-cup batches until they are nicely browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on fresh paper towels or brown paper bags and place in a warmed serving bowl lined with more paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Never cover the potatoes to keep them hot as they will immediately turn soft and limp. If you are inclined to perfectionism, leave some potatoes to fry halfway through the meal so you can serve them crisp and piping hot.