Turkey Bone Butter Will Take Your Thanksgiving Sides To The Next Level
Like pumpkin spice fever in October, the month of November elicits a craving for turkey that seems to hide deep down during the other months of the year. It's projected that 88% of Americans are going to be chowing down on turkey this Thanksgiving (via Finder). Of course, the problem for most of us isn't eating the turkey or even preparing it; it's the question of what to do with all the leftovers from that fabulously huge Thanksgiving dinner. All that meat, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce are good for only about two or three days (via USA Today), and there's only so much one can eat without considering going on a diet. What exactly can you do with all that food?
Thanks to the ingenuity of chefs all across America and the creativity of the Internet, you'll be thankful to know there are plenty of things to do with your leftovers. Andrew Rea's Binging with Babish YouTube video on Thanksgiving leftovers shows off everything from triple-decker turkey sandwiches to breakfast waffles crafted from stuffing. Food Network gives an astounding 62 recipes designed around using up those Tupperware containers of turkey and side dishes in your fridge, from quiche to meat pies to fried stuffing dumplings.
There's even something you can do with those pesky bones you pulled out of your turkey while you were preparing it. Aside from breaking the wishbone as a good luck tradition, that piece of the turkey's skeleton can create a delicious creamy condiment.
How to make turkey bone butter
While the name may sound a little off-putting at first, any chef can tell you the bones of your bird can be used to enhance the flavor of your stock or make a delicious bone broth (via The Kitchn). Turkey bone butter is much the same concept, although rather than a liquid broth, you are preparing a smooth, creamy mixture that is perfect for making a roux, adding to stuffing, or serving alongside biscuits, bread, or croissants. The recipe, according to Matthew Zuras of Epicurious, is pretty basic, so don't worry about requiring any sort of luxury ingredients or incredibly high skill level to prepare it.
The first step is get some butter and your turkey bones. If need be, it's best you chop your bones to a smaller size in order to fit as many as you can into your pot. The smaller the bones are, the easier it is to extract their flavors. After adding your bones and butter into a stockpot, Zuras recommends that you allow it to simmer on low heat (so as not to burn the butter) for about 30 minutes until a golden brown color is formed, removing any "scum" that rises to the surface. After 30 minutes have elapsed, remove the bones and strain the butter into a heatproof container. If you plan to keep it for longer than a week, it is suggested to store it in the freezer rather than in the fridge.