Padma Lakshmi Is Drooling Over This Turkey Leg
Padma Lakshmi wears many hats. When she's not touring the U.S. for her show "Taste The Nation" or filming the latest season of "Top Chef," she probably keeps herself busy writing the next New York Times-bestselling cookbook, all while regularly sharing recipes on her website.
In the middle of her packed schedule, Lakshmi also never fails to find time to interact with fans on social media. From sharing food memes on Instagram that all her fans across the world can relate to, and starting important discussions on Twitter, she has a pretty active online presence. Only a few days back Lakshmi put her fans in a dilemma when she asked them which carb (rice, bread, and noodles) they'd f***, marry, and kill — and we'd say that's a pretty serious question (via Twitter).
And on another seemingly uneventful day, Lakshmi again Tweeted at her fans, asking them what they were making for dinner, to which she got all sorts of answers along with pictures. "A bag of Pretzels and a piece of cake," one person said. A bowl of cereal, wine, and cake were other answers. There was one fan, however, whose dinner had Lakshmi drooling.
Sharing a picture of the turkey they had made for dinner, @lidskipoo gushed over how good the turkey leg had turned out — all thanks to Lakshmi's own recipe. The meal looked so good that even the celebrity chef couldn't help but drool over it: "Check out that leg" the star said, re-Tweeting the juicy turkey that the fan had made.
Padma Lakshmi says low and slow is the key to a good turkey
The recipe that the fan on Twitter seems to refers to is the slow roasted turkey recipe that Lakshmi shared with NYT Cooking in November (as seen on YouTube). While the recipe came in time for Thanksgiving, Lakshmi shares plenty of tips that will be equally useful if you plan to roast turkey again for Christmas dinner.
Lakshmi confessed to NYT Cooking host Genevieve Ko that she hadn't cooked meat growing up, and so when she did begin to do so, her recipes had to be simple and easy to make. The trick for this one she says, is to brine the turkey in buttermilk that is seasoned with fresh bay leaves, roasted black peppercorns, cayenne, salt, and sugar.
The turkey should then be left in the fridge to soak for two to three days, but here's where she shares the secret to a drool-worthy turkey leg: Whatever you do, make sure that the turkey leg is fully covered in the buttermilk because it's the legs that need to be tenderized the most. It seems like Lakshmi's fan on Twitter must have followed her advice accordingly!
Per Lakshmi's recipe, the turkey then goes into the oven with fennel, apples, and onions along with some spices, and is left to roast at a low temperature overnight. The end result will be a meal so good that even the skilled chef will want a seat at your dinner table.