The main goal of advertising is to entice you to purchase a specific product. In order to increase your purchase of said product, recipes are often listed on the label. In a different move, Unilever, the manufacturer of Best Foods Mayonnaise—known as Hellmann’s east of the Rocky Mountains—cross promotes its product with a commercial for a recipe. This week, I feature the recipe currently being promoted just in time to make use of your Thanksgiving leftovers.
It is very simple to make mayonnaise. Most often, I purchase it because I could never use enough of the homemade version before it would spoil. In its simplest form, mayonnaise is nothing more than an emulsification of eggs, oil, salt and a little acid such as lemon or vinegar. By starting with a few garlic cloves, mayonnaise becomes its refined and classic sauce sibling, aioli.
In the current Best Foods commercial, we see the story of a woman with bouncy hair as she raises an eyebrow; conveying to us that she is smart and knows that with the help of mayonnaise, dinner will be perfect. Then we see a flash of the product along with a few holiday meal staples, presumed to be leftovers. After a flash of the mayonnaise going into the recipe, we see the finished product, bubbly and with a beautiful crusted top.
I tried a Best Foods recipe for parmesan crusted chicken about a year ago when a different commercial was airing. That recipe used chicken breast. It seemed like using the mayonnaise kept the chicken breast moist and tender. If I enjoyed that recipe, the one for turkey casserole might be a winner too.
I looked up the recipe to see how it was made and where the mayonnaise was used —it goes into the cranberries and the mashed potatoes. When you remember that mayonnaise is mainly oil, it does not seem nearly as weird.
For the test of this recipe, I broke one of my own Thanksgiving rules and was unable to use all homemade products. I know, call me a hypocrite for using a few things that were from a package, but I did go out of my way to procure good quality and healthful items.
The casserole is perfect for the day after a day of busy holiday cooking. The mayonnaise makes the cranberries easier to spread and helps loosen the mashed potatoes, which make for better mixing of the mozzarella cheese. If I were to try this recipe again, I may substitute some cheddar cheese for the mozzarella, which will bring a little more depth of flavor and color to the whole finished product.
Turkey Casserole
From BestFoods.com
Serves 6
Ingredients
– 4 cups leftover prepared stuffing, divided
– 4 cups coarsely chopped leftover cooked turkey (about 1 pound)
– 3/4 cup Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise, divided
– 1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
– 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
– 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Spoon in two cups of stuffing, then top with turkey.
Step 2: Combine 1/4 cup Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise with cranberry sauce; evenly spread over turkey.
Step 3: Combine remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise, potatoes and cheese in large bowl. Evenly spread on turkey, then top with remaining two cups stuffing.
Step 4: Bake 40 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired, with dried cranberries.
