Add Roasted Sage Leaves to Turkey for Texture and Flavor
Details often make a dish special. Small additions like pretty napkins, a crunchy sugar crust on pumpkin pie, or your own head of fried garlic can help you prepare your annual dinner for years to come. Crispy, toasted sage leaves can do the same.
Thanksgiving dinner is often unadorned. There are so many ingredients in the oven, so many dishes that go in and out of the oven, that the finishing touch of little green leaves can seem very secondary on your priority list. But roasted sage leaves offer more than just greens – they offer texture and flavor.
Roasted sage has a roasted, warmer, and less pungent flavor than fresh bois. It’s still sage – the classic Thanksgiving flavor – but more affordable. (Was I known to eat them like little green chips? Yes.) Fried sage is also crispy, which people like to taste in their mouths. And while I said that “green” is not critical, it looks pretty pretty in the Instagram photo that you (or some of your guests) will definitely post. Truly, roasted sage has no downsides.
If you’re concerned about time, know that sage can be sautéed quickly — from start to finish — in about 10 minutes. If you’re too exhausted for a 10-minute assignment, delegate the frying of the sage to one person who hangs around all the time and asks “what can they do to help.”
Fried sage leaves
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of leaves (about 30)
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (plain vegetable oil will work)
- Salt
Heat oil in a skillet or small oven until it starts to shimmer. Add one sheet. If it floats and sizzles, your oil is ready. Fry the sage in five or six portions, about three seconds on each side. Use a fork to scoop them out of the oil, place them on paper towels to dry, and sprinkle with fine sea salt. Sprinkle them whole on the turkey, chop them into mashed potatoes, or place them in a pretty bowl and let the guest decorate their plates as they please.