So It's Thanksgiving Again
Recipes for people who love Thanksgiving; recipes for people who hate Thanksgiving.
Maybe you know, maybe you don’t: Thanksgiving is on Thursday. Yes, it’s just 2 days away, which is exciting for many of you, distressing for others, and both for the rest of us. If you still haven’t decided what you’re bringing because you’re overwhelmed by Big Thanksgiving’s never-ending ‘is turkey even that good’, stuffing vs. dressing and marshmallow-topped sweet potato content, we’ve done what we do best for you: sifted through the ocean of options. And for those of you who don’t have Turkey Day plans? We feel you, and we’ve got you too. Scroll down for a poultry and pie-less menu, plus a peek into what’s on our Black Friday shopping lists. Now gobble gobble, get to planning!
SO YOU STILL HAVEN’T DECIDED WHAT TO MAKE FOR THANKSGIVING?
Not-Your-Grandma’s Stuffing: Things I love about my grandma’s stuffing: the way she cooks half of it in the bird for a rich, pudding-like texture, and the other half in a pan to achieve dark, crunchy edges. Things I don’t love about my grandma’s stuffing: the lack of deep flavor, assumingly from the tiny cubes of white sandwich bread she uses to make it. Miss Alison describes her celery-forward stuffing as “custardy croutons”, and suggests using a crusty sourdough loaf. The textures and flavors from the abundance of vegetables and torn pieces of chewy, dark-crusted bread make this my #1 stuffing recipe, though I can only make it for Friendsgivings. I could never disrespect my sweet grandma or her (slightly monotonous) stuffing.
2. Parker House Rolls: Make rolls for Thanksgiving. Do it. Growing up with 50% of my immediate family being intolerant of gluten, I never made fresh bread for any holidays, or really ever. But for the past few years, I’ve put piping hot, squishy soft rolls on the table and no one— I repeat, no one — has complained. In fact, they’re now expected. The first few years, I made Deb’s “pretzeled” Parker House Rolls, and last year it was Claire’s Sour Cream & Onion Rolls. This year, after consulting this guide I’ll be making Bobby Flay’s simple, pillowy rolls with lots of flaky salt on top. They’re all incredibly good and you can’t go wrong, especially when you get to use any leftover rolls (though there rarely are in our house) for your turkey sandwich the next day.
The Turkey: If you’re in charge of The Turkey and still don’t have a plan, first of all, bless your heart, and second of all, we’ve got you covered. Actually, the beautiful and brilliant Padma Lakshmi does. Her “slow roasted and richly sauced” turkey is just that — roasted simply for hours and hours over a pan full of apples, oranges, ginger, onions and fennel. Once the bird has cooked, she strains the soft and schmaltzy fruits, vegetables and alliums into a pot of butter, flour and brandy to make a sweet, salty gravy with a kick. Now that you’ve found the perfect recipe, please close this tab and head to the grocery store immediately. Or, if you’re not convinced, find a nearby Popeyes and try to buy one of these instead.
Sauces & Toppers: Don’t get me wrong, gravy is good, but let’s be real — it’s another brown thing on a pretty brown table. My boyfriend is almost certainly rolling his eyes as he reads this, but Thanksgiving food is a little one-note. Much like Queen Samin, I crave color, texture, and contrast, especially when the rest of the menu is buttery, rich, and full of the same three herbs (Sage’s 15 minutes of fame!) That’s why I’m fully in favor of bringing any other sauces, toppings, and chutneys to the table. We’ll be making at least ⅔ of Samin’s new recipes for the Times, but they also reminded me of two of my favorite recipes from Maneet Chauhan: a spicy mint-mango chutney and a tamarind and date number that would be just as good alongside turkey as it would pumpkin pie.
Pie: For all things buttery, flaky, creamy, and crunchy see our Guide to Pie from last year. The TLDR: if you’re gonna make pie, this is the only crust recipe you should be using. Let your imagination run wild with the fillings, but make that crust.
SO YOU HATE THANKSGIVING?
Rolled Lasagna: If traditional lasagna is a small production, these lasagna rolls are Avatar, or Dune, or better yet, Scorsese’s Gatsby. That’s to say they’re a ton of work, ridiculously over the top, but so unbelievably delicious that they’re undoubtedly worth it. You can — and should — turn making these into a hands-on project for whoever you’re having over for your Not-Thanksgiving Dinner. Have everyone fill single sheets of lasagna with crispy, crumbled sausage, sweet, sautéed fennel and decadent béchamel before gently stuffing them into a loaf pan and showering the whole thing with parmesan. The whole thing bakes into a main course that’s more custardy, crispy-edged, and golden brown that a turkey could ever dream of being.
Sides, Slices, & Scoops: If it were up to me, I’d forgo a main dish entirely and subsist on scoops of veg and carbs. The menu would be full of slices of quick breads like Cornbread, Zucchini Bread, and most likely Cranberry-Orange on this holiday. The recipe from the back of the Ocean Spray bag is a Kassel family staple, but you’re probably better off making Deb’s pearl-sugar-studded version. Then there’d be heaping scoops of sides like mashed potatoes (tradition or no tradition, you should be making mashies), mac-and-cheese I can [almost] eat without overdosing on Lactaid, my favorite cauliflower, and charred green beans. Oh, and I’d still make the Parker House Rolls (see above). Always make the Parker House Rolls.
Desserts That Aren’t Pie: If you find yourself craving tart, acidic flavors instead of the cloying, creamy usual suspects, add these lemon-cranberry bars to your menu. If you love pumpkin spice but can’t bring yourself to bake a whole pie for one or two people, whoopie pies may be your answer. Not a baker but were tasked with bringing dessert to Friendsgiving? This apple ‘mosaic’ tart looks like a Hollywood-handshake-worthy showstopper but takes little more effort to make than owning a mandoline and buying frozen puff pastry. If making caramel scares you (and it shouldn’t), opt for good quality store-bought stuff, loosened with heavy cream. Or, try our favorite perfectly spiced, ultra-chewy, sparkly sugar-coated ginger cookies.
BLACK FRIDAY TAKEOUT:
It’s my childhood nightmare this year: an early Hanukkah. Oh, how I dreaded the years when it would fall just after Thanksgiving (starting in November? The horror!) and conclude before Mariah even had a chance to reach the top of the charts. With the oft-mentioned supply chain clusterfuck and warnings of sell-outs, we’re starting our shopping early. What’s on our gift shopping lists? So glad you asked.
CERAMIC BAKEWARE
I’ve been making everything from mac-and-cheese to tiramisu to lasagna to apple crisp in my oven-safe stainless steel skillets. But, after having friends over for dinner and finding myself in situations where I’ve had to travel with a cooking vessel one too many times, I’ve decided it’s time to buy some proper casserole dishes. I have my eye on this classy colored set, which is already discounted and has three sizes that nest inside each other.
SPATULAS
On the note of holiday baking, I have yet to find a rubber or silicone spatula that can withstand more than a year of scraping, folding, and mixing without beginning to chip or shed foreign material into my batters. I’ll be giving the GIR ones a shot if they go on sale or if someone reading this wants to take a hint.
DYSON VACUUM
Preferably the one that projects a laser to identify exactly where the cake crumbs and sesame seeds are hiding beneath my oven.
FANCY BLENDER
Our magic bullet recently died after a near decade-long run, leaving me and my roommate to ask ourselves, Is this the year we finally bite the bullet and buy a Vitamix? Is that dumb? Am I a pawn to the whims of good marketing, the idea of a tamp, and the promise of absolutely obliterated fruit fiber? Please sound off in the comments and tell us what to do!