Southern Comfort (29 page)

Place the turkey in a large food-safe plastic bag inside of an ice chest large enough to contain it. To make the brine, in a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in the water, followed by the thyme and garlic and pour around the turkey in the plastic bag, submerging the turkey in the brine. Tie the bag closed, pack the cooler the rest of the way with ice, and brine for 24 hours.

Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Transfer the bird, breast-side up, to a turkey frying basket.

Place the turkey in the frying basket in a 30-quart stockpot and add enough oil to barely cover the bird. Remove the turkey (in the frying basket) from the stockpot and bring the oil to 400°F; this can take up to 1 hour.

Carefully lower the turkey into the hot oil and fry for 3 minutes per pound, about 30 minutes. Lift the turkey in the basket from the fryer and drain over a draining rack for 15 minutes.

Remove the turkey from the basket, carve, and serve.

To prepare the chicken and broth, place the whole chicken in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, skimming the scum off of the top and discarding as necessary. Once the chicken is cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate to cool and strain the broth, reserving 4 cups to use in the casserole.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Meanwhile, make the salsa. Toss the tomatillos, onion, garlic, chiles, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl until the vegetables are well coated. Place the oiled vegetables on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for
30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and place in a food processor with the lime juice and cilantro and pulse the mixture until you get a nice and chunky salsa. Reserve.

To make the sauce, in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, chiles, and garlic and cook the vegetables until they have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, paprika, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and flour, stirring to mix well, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the 4 cups reserved chicken broth and the crème fraîche and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat; reserve.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin, then pull the meat from the bones, discarding bones and skin. Shred the meat and reserve in a bowl.

To soften the tortillas, pour the vegetable oil into a 8-inch skillet and place over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, dip the tortillas in the oil one by one, until they are just soft, about 5 seconds each. Let them drain on paper towels.

To assemble the casserole, butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Build the casserole as follows, spreading each layer evenly in the dish: half of the tortillas (so they cover the bottom of the dish), then half of the chicken, then half of the pepper sauce, then half of the cheese, and half of the green onions. Repeat. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melting and the sauce is bubbly, about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven, spoon the roasted tomatillo salsa over the top, and serve.

To brine the chicken, in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken and brine, combine the brown sugar, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, thyme, and garlic and mix together thoroughly. Add the 4 quarts hot water, whisking until the sugar and mustard are dissolved in the liquid. Set the bowl of brine over another bowl filled with ice and let cool until the liquid is chilled. Place the chicken parts in the brine, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

To make the flour mixture, the next day, combine the salt, black and white peppers, dried thyme, dried parsley, mustard powder, and flour in a large bowl; whisk to blend. Transfer the flour mixture in a durable brown paper bag.

To make the egg mixture, combine the buttermilk, heavy cream, and eggs in a bowl and whisk until combined.

To fry the chicken, fill an 8- to 10-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan with the peanut oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 360°F on a deep-fry thermometer.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken pieces, one by one, in the egg wash; remove from the egg wash and shake off the excess
liquid. Put the chicken pieces, one by one, in the flour mixture in the paper bag and shake well to coat the chicken.

Line a plate with paper towels and have nearby. Once all the chicken is battered and the oil is up to temperature, place the breasts and thighs in the hot oil. Cook for 18 minutes and transfer to the prepared plate. Season the chicken right when it comes out of the oil with salt. Repeat this procedure with the wings and drumsticks and cook for 12 minutes. Transfer the remaining fried chicken pieces to the paper-lined plate and season with salt.

Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.