Our goal for Thanksgiving this year (well, one of them, anyway) was humble: just make the crispiest-on-the-outside, juiciest-on-the-inside turkey of all time. Oh, and make it really easy. No big, right?
Actually, it sort of was no big, thanks to a story about crispy grilled cheese that we published earlier this year. In doing research for that story, we found that using a few schmears of mayonnaise on the outside of the bread made the sandwiches extra-crispy. “My turkey has historically been butter-basted like a grilled cheese," assistant food editor Katherine Sacks remembers thinking. Would mayo work on the bird?
Her first trial combined chopped parsley, lemon zest, and chopped garlic in the mayo coating, a flavorful combo that only burned in the oven. Later trials used a smooth puree of slow-roasted garlic, an easy addition that added classic flavor and allowed us to use a fancier name (aioli). Oh, and note: she rubbed this garlic mayo on the outside and inside of the turkey's skin. The outer layer made the skin crispy and golden ("Just like an egg wash on a pie,” says assistant food editor Anna Stockwell), the inner layer made the meat flavorful and juicy.
The takeaway: Mayonnaise isn't something you just bring out for sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving; you bring it out on Thanksgiving. After all, you can't make a MayoTurkey without it.
