For those of you already thawing a Quorn Turk’y Roast for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner, you may be wondering if there is an easy way to make it more palatable.
I know that this is an eleventh hour post, but I experimented last night with a new marinade and was excited to share it with you.
Don’t get me wrong – Quorn Turk’y Roast has been my serviceable non-meat protein standby for holiday meals for many years. I just think it is a bit bland and could use some extra zing.
That’s where Old Bay comes in.
My five years living in Baltimore, Maryland taught me the virtues of Old Bay. Sure, Baltimoreans love Old Bay on their crab, but they also slather it on lots of other non-seafood dishes, like scrambled eggs, veggies, pizza, even popcorn – and dang, it actually does make most everything taste better!
I put together a marinade with extra virgin olive oil, Vermont maple balsamic vinegar (from Devo Olive Oil Company in Branson, MO), Bay leaves, garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme (yep, just like the song!), and LOTS of Old Bay. The maple balsamic vinegar imparts a rich and nuanced taste and a dark savory glaze without adding sweetness, and then the Old Bay really seals the deal. I deliberately left out the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, cayenne, and white wine that I used in my previous recipe, reduced the olive oil, upped the garlic, and of course, slathered the surface of the Roast with Old Bay.
The Old Bay is what really makes the difference!
Let it marinate for at least an hour or two (or longer if you have time), turning the Roast several times to make sure that the marinade evenly coats all sides.
I made this in a my favorite clay pot that I first soaked in water for about an hour, and then added pieces of onion, russet potato, and carrots before putting in my Quorn Turk’y Roast that has been soaking in the marinade.
Instead of baking at 425°degrees for 30 minutes (as the package suggests), I lowered the heat to 375° F degrees for 30 minutes, and then raised it to 425° F for another 15 minutes. Although I changed my baking parameters primarily to accommodate the cooking temperature needed for my bread dressing that was already in the oven (made with vegan Tofurky Andouille sausage, dried apples, raisins, and walnuts), I actually think cooking the Roast at a lower temperature and then increasing it made it more moist and tender and helped brown the exterior.
Although Old Bay may seem like an unlikely ingredient to add to a meatless Thanksgiving meal, I actually thought that this was one of the best Quorn Turk’y Roasts I’ve ever made.
I hope you try it – and have a bountiful and happy Thanksgiving!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple balsamic vinegar
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 fresh Bay leaves
- Several sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley
- Several sprigs for fresh sage
- Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Several sprigs of fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 fully defrosted Quorn Turk'y Roast, casing removed and slashed about 8 times
- Old Bay seasoning (use the low sodium version if you are concerned about salt)
- 1 large onion, peeled, halved, and cut into 6-8 pieces
- ½ lb. baby carrots
- 2-3 large russet potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into chunks
- Freshly ground black pepper and more Old Bay
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
- Mix the first 9 ingredients together in a large bowl, and add the defrosted Quorn Turk'y Roast. Sprinkle the Roast liberally with Old Bay, turning it on all sides, and really rubbing it in.
- Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 8 hours, turning it a couple of times to make sure the marinade gets on all sides of the Roast.
- Meanwhile, soak a clay pot in water for about an hour. (if you don't have a clay pot - no worries. You can put everything in a large covered Pyrex dish that is deep enough to cover the roast and accommodate all of the veggies.)
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Put the veggies in the lightly greased oven ready dish, and then add the Roast. Leave the herb sprigs in the marinade (if you’d like), and then pour the marinade over the Roast and veggies. Top the Roast with a bit more Old Bay, freshly ground black pepper, and chopped parsley.
- Cover and bake at 375 ° F for 30 minutes.
- Raise the heat to 425 ° and cook for about 15 more minutes. Depending on the size of your veggies and how crisp or tender you like them, check them and add a few more minutes if needed.
- Remove the herb sprigs, slice the Roast, and serve with the cooked veggies.
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