It’s the week of Thanksgiving, and here at NowCar, we like to talk about some of the technological advancements that can make traveling on Turkey Day a little less hectic. Going on a road trip with the fam, but still want to enjoy some fresh turkey and gravy? Or just driving to a family member’s house and don’t want to show up empty-handed? We got you covered with an interesting way to cook turkey and a classic recipe that travels well.

Turkey, Meet Engine

If the thought never occurred to cook a turkey on a car engine, it’s okay. No one would imagine going through all that mess, but don’t worry – there is a way. All it takes is some preparation and a couple of hours on the road.

Ingredients

•       1 five-pound boneless turkey breast sliced into thin strips
•       3 large baked potatoes, peeled and diced
•       3 carrots, chopped up into fine bits
•       Dry white wine
•       Flour
•       Butter
•       Tinfoil
•       Salt and pepper
•       3/4 cup heavy cream

Prep Instructions – 2-3 hours

1.     To prepare this dish, we need to cut up the turkey, potatoes, and carrots, and put them in a bowl together.
2.     Next, pour as much dry wine on the turkey and veggies, enough to cover it. We’ll need to let this marinade for two hours.
3.     Wait patiently, maybe have a sip or two of that wine.
4.     After marinating, drain the white wine because it’s been soaking in raw turkey. DO NOT DRINK IT.
5.     Remove the veggies. Cover the turkey with flour and butter up five large squares of tinfoil. Here’s where things get tricky.
6.     Each piece of tinfoil is a makeshift bowl, so be sure to curve up the corners and round it out a bit.
7.     Place an equal portion of turkey, potatoes, and carrots in each tinfoil bowl. Add whatever seasoning goes for your turkey recipe.
8.     Add some heavy cream, enough to keep things moist and fresh, but doesn’t have a chance of overflowing from the tinfoil bowl.
9.     Pinch the corners of the tinfoil bowl to seal it up. If you can make it more secure, do so, because these are going right on the engine block.

Cooking Instructions – 4 hours

1.     Secure the tinfoil bowls of turkey and veggies and hit the road. This kind of turkey dinner will take about four hours to cook.
2.     It’s a good idea to flip the tinfoil bowls over about halfway, hence sealing them as tightly as possible.
3.     If a 4-hour drive isn’t on the agenda, the rest of the cooking can be done in the oven of your destination. Then, everyone can enjoy a hot and ready-to-go Thanksgiving meal.

Twice-Baked Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

We said we had a side dish to go with the drive in case you’re just joining a potluck or bringing a little something to the table this year. It’s not too tough to make, and it only takes less than 30 minutes to cook at the host’s home.

Ingredients

•       2 large sweet potatoes – about 1/2 pound in total
•       1 can – 8 ounces – of crushed pineapple, drained
•       1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•       1 tablespoon butter
•       1 tablespoon light- or dark brown sugar
•       2 teaspoons of cinnamon
•       1 teaspoon grated orange zest
•       1/2 teaspoon salt
•       2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Preparation Instructions – 1.5 hours

1.     Like any dish, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
2.     To get the potatoes cooking without bursting, pierce each straight through twice with the tip of a knife to let it breathe and help heat escape.
3.     Bake the potatoes for 50 minutes – 1 hour.
4.     Remove the potatoes and let them cool a bit so they’re not too hot to the touch. We’re going to need our hands for this.
5.     Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise to open them up. Scoop out the insides of the flesh but leave the skin intact.
6.     Put the potato flesh into a bowl.
7.     Time to add everything else – the pineapple, oil, butter, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt – and maybe some bacon if you’re looking for a little crunch.
8.     Mix it well until smooth.
9.     Now, pour the mixture back into the empty potato skins. Fold the potato back up to keep things from spilling.
10.   Place the now stuffed potatoes into an oven-safe dish with a cover and place it in a cooler for the drive over.

Finish Cooking Instructions – 20 minutes

1.     At the host’s home, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2.     Take the stuffed potatoes out of the cooler. Keeping them in the dish is okay, it is oven-safe, after all.
3.     Bake for another 15 minutes.
4.     Remove the potatoes, open them up, and sprinkle in the pecans.
5.     Close the potatoes back up again and bake for another 5 minutes.
6.     Take out and let cool, but eat it when it is still warm.

That’s all there is to it. Who knew cars could make a great oven when traveling for the holidays? And if not cooking, bringing a side dish to lessen the load of what the host is cooking is always nice. Have any other recipes or life hacks you want to share? Post them on our NowCar social media page. Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo Source/Copyright: Sarah Pflug