Creamed Turkey over Mashed Potatoes

MLK Day weekend and New Hope AME's annual fellowship meal for eighty. I have been part of this cooking team for so many years now that the meal has taken on a quality of ritual — I know which pan goes on which burner, I know how early the biscuits need to start to be hot at noon, I know that Brother Grover will always arrive twenty minutes late and pretend he's early. There is comfort in that kind of knowing.

This year I asked Kezia to join the cooking team, which meant introducing her to the older women who have always anchored the church kitchen. She was the youngest in the room by thirty years. She handled it the way she handles most things — with her notebook in her bag and her eyes open and her hands ready to work. Sister Ruth, who has been at this stove since before I was born, watched Kezia make a roux for the gravy and said, that girl's been taught right. I said, she has. Sister Ruth said, make sure she keeps coming. I said, I intend to.

Deontay came too, off his own initiative, which I did not know until he walked in at seven-thirty with an apron over his shoulder. I said, I didn't ask you to come. He said, I know. I want to be here. That is the right reason to be anywhere.

Pastor Hendricks spoke about Dr. King's Letter from Birmingham Jail and the way King described urgency — not the destructive urgency of impatience but the creative urgency of a person who understands that justice delayed is justice denied. I carried that phrase into the kitchen with me and I found it fit there too. Food delayed is love delayed. The table that waits to be built is still waiting.

We did not serve this exact dish at New Hope that morning — Sister Ruth’s kitchen has its own canon — but when I came home that evening, still carrying Pastor Hendricks’ words about creative urgency, this is the recipe I turned to. Creamed turkey over mashed potatoes is the kind of food that does what the fellowship meal does: it pulls everything together into something warmer and more sustaining than its parts. I made it that night thinking of Kezia’s steady hands on the roux, and of Deontay walking in with his apron, and of the table that is always worth building.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the mashed potatoes:
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the creamed turkey:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
1 cup whole milk
3 cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Place cubed potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook 15—18 minutes, until potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well.
Mash and season. Return drained potatoes to the warm pot. Add butter and mash until the butter is melted and incorporated. Add warmed milk gradually, mashing to your preferred consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm over the lowest heat setting.
Build the roux. In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6—8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes, letting the roux cook off the raw flour taste.
Add liquid and thicken. Slowly whisk in the broth, a little at a time, keeping the mixture smooth. Add the milk and continue whisking. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5—7 minutes.
Finish with turkey. Stir in the shredded turkey, thyme, and poultry seasoning. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, until turkey is heated through and flavors are melded. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Serve. Spoon mashed potatoes into shallow bowls or onto plates and ladle the creamed turkey generously over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Creamed Turkey over Mashed Potatoes — The Dish That Holds a Table Together