Early Thanksgiving w/ Mash Potatoes and Green Beans

In an effort to try something other than beef and chicken for dinner, I decided to buy a turkey for tonight's dinner. I was hoping for a little small turkey, but I completely forgot about the Thanksgiving holiday and the enormous 16 lb turkeys that go with it! That's a little too much for only 2 people. Then I found a Turkey London Broil. (I had no idea they had london broils in anything but beef). If you've never seen a Turkey London Broil, imagine a giant chicken breast. So, I bought it and when I got home I stopped and realized that I had no idea how to cook a london broil. I had originally planned on roasting it, but that wouldn't quite work. After doing a little research, I came up with my own recipe using some of my favorite ingredients: garlic, red wine, and onions.

Result: The turkey broil was great! The meat was juicy and flavorful and no bones to deal with.

Turkey with Mashed Red Potatoes and Fresh Green Beans

Turkey Marinade:
wine
garlic powder
onion powder
pepper and salt

I didn't measure anything. Just put all the ingredients into a plastic bag with the turkey london broil and marinaded for about 30 minutes in the fridge. While marinating, get the potatoes and green beans started. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Put the london broil and marinade in a roasting pan and cover with tin foil. Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle. After cooked, let sit for 5 minutes and then slice for serving.

Mashed Red Potatoes

While the turkey marinates, wash and cut 4-5 small red potatoes into approximately one inch squares. Put in a pot of boiling water (with salt) on the stove. Move onto the green beans while potatoes boil. Once green beans are simmering, check potatoes with a fork to make sure they are mashable. Drain water from the pot. I often use a plate for this to save dishes (ahem...small kitchen, remember). I place the bottom of the plate toward the inside of the pot, hold the center of the plate in place with my hand and slowly tip the pan with my other hand. Be careful not to let the steam or water burn your hand. Once drained, add 1 Tbsp of butter and start smashing! I find that smashing the potatoes before you add milk really helps achieve a smooth consistency for the potatoes. Once mashed, add milk and keep smashing until it's as thick or thin as you like your potatoes. Add another Tbsp of butter and some salt to taste.

Fresh Green Beans

I stopped by the Reading Terminal Market on my way home from work earlier this week and did all my veggie shopping. Nothing beats fresh local vegetables. The green beans looked amazing, so I decided to get a bunch and work them into one of my dinners. The recipe below is from my mom. I have no idea if she got it from somewhere else. This is by far my favorite way to eat green beans...thanks mom!

2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion (chopped)
2 Vegetable bouillon cubes
2 cups water

Wash the green beans and snap off the ends. In a saute pan on medium high heat melt the butter. Once melted add onions and saute until soft and translucent. Add green beans and saute until the color becomes that wonderful bright green color (about 5 min). Add 2 cups water to the saute pan. Once the water begins to boil, break up the bouillon cubes and add to the pan. Stir around to dissolve the bouillon cube. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pan. Check and stir the beans every 10 minutes or so. I like me beans a little soft, but by no means mushy. Take a bite after 20 minutes to see if they are to your liking. The beauty of this dish is that the broth serves as the "gravy" for the turkey and mashed potatoes.

Jonny's Corner
Seconds? Yes
Response: Horrible! (In reference to the base running of the Phillies game). What? Oh, good meal.