The cult classic cookbook Manifold Destiny offers plenty of recipes you can cook on your car engine, but none of them call for a whole turkey – unless, as my coauthor Chris Maynard and I remark, “you haul the family around at holiday time in a Greyhound bus.” This turkey trick solves the space problem by portioning boneless breast slices in individual foil packets. Just triple-wrap the ingredients in aluminum foil, nestle the packets into engine hot spots where they won’t fall off, and drive for three to four hours, checking for doneness partway through your trip.
To Grandmother's House Road Turkey
2 pounds turkey breast, sliced thin
Flour for dredging
1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
1 carrot, finely diced
dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
Combine turkey, potatoes, and carrots in a bowl with wine, and marinate for two hours in the refrigerator. Set the vegetables aside, and dredge the turkey slices in flour. Heavily butter three large squares of foil, then arrange equal amounts of turkey and vegetables on each square, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. Cup the foil around the turkey and vegetables, and pour over each serving as much heavy cream as you can without making a soupy mess that will cause the packets to more easily puncture when you put them onto the engine. Seal carefully, and wrap with two more layers of foil.
A tip: For even cooking, you might want to turn the packets along the way. And make sure you don’t interfere with the accelerator linkage, or get your hands near the fan!