November 24, 2009
FROM THE THANKSGIVING ARCHIVES: NOW THAT'S GOOD E.A.T.S.:
A carver's confession: He who holds the knife gets dibs on the crispy, flavorful turkey skin. (David Shaw, November 17, 2004, LA Times)
I used to have an editor who insisted that turkey was "dry and boring." The only reason Thanksgiving dinner was even worth eating, he said, was "to get all those accompaniments and accouterments" � by which he meant stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, yams, pies and the like.Wrong.
A properly cooked turkey � preferably one brined beforehand � is moist and delicious, one of America's great gifts to global gastronomy. I especially like the dark meat � the thigh in particular. But my absolute favorite part of the turkey � my favorite part of the entire Thanksgiving dinner � is the turkey skin. Crisp, chewy, warm and full of flavor, it ranks right up there with white truffles, foie gras, barbecue ribs and a good, natural-casing hot dog on my list of all-time favorite foods.
In fact, selfish and greedy though it may seem, I try every Thanksgiving � and every other time we have turkey for dinner, anywhere � to snare a few golden patches of skin even before we all sit down at table.
How do I do that?
Easy. I volunteer to carve the turkey. I do so every time, whether we're eating at our house or someone else's. And then, nibbling as I go, I make sure to rip off (so to speak) several good, big pieces of skin as a sort of carving fee.
If we're guests at a friend's or relative's house, I don't insist on carving. I can still recall graciously (I hope) yielding carving duties one evening a number of years ago to Michel Richard when he was the chef at Citrus and we were having dinner at the home of a mutual friend. Michel carved the turkey with such speed, dexterity and precision � every slice was exactly the same thickness as every other slice � that I considered hanging up my knife permanently that very night.
But my desire for what I've come to think of as my EATS (Exclusive Access To Skin) prevailed, and I continue to volunteer, often quite vigorously, for carving duty.
(originally posted: November 25, 2004)