Every year Thanksgiving week surprises me. How does the calendar hit September and then it’s Thanksgiving the very next day? Despite the fact that I am never prepared, it is perhaps my favorite holiday because I love holiday cooking.
Below is a selection of my turkey day fan favorites, some from me and some well-vetted from elsewhere. I hope one or two of them ends up on your holiday table!
Appetizers
- Favorites from my archive
- Baked Butternut Squash and Feta with crostini for scooping
- Balsamic Roasted Peppers with Creamy Goat Cheese with crostini for scooping
- Pepple’s Family World Famous Mushroom Pate with crostini for scooping (a gift from retired WWEr Charlotte Greffin)
- Favorites from elsewhere
- Squash Toast with Ricotta and Cider Vinegar
- Spinach, Feta and Artichoke Dip with crostini and endive leaves for scooping
Turkey
- Favorites from elsewhere
- Rosemary, Lemon and Sage OR Orange and Smoked Paprika Dry-Brined Turkey
- This is my annual go-to-never-disappoints turkey prep method
- If you don’t feel like making a whole turkey, you could sign up for the recording of last year’s Thanksgiving inspired cooking class to get my recipe for Thanksgiving Meatballs with Sage and Warm Spices and
Roasted Winter Squash with Burrata and Mint. All cooking class recordings are just $20. Email me if you’d like this one.
- Rosemary, Lemon and Sage OR Orange and Smoked Paprika Dry-Brined Turkey
- Holiday cooking tips: Figure 1lb turkey per person. I spatchcock (aka butterfly) my turkey for even, faster cooking. Have your butcher do this for you if you can, otherwise watch this Alton Brown video for method and suggested cooking. His idea for roasting your turkey directly on an oven grate sounds interesting but I usually roast my bird atop some halved lemons, onions and garlic bulbs. Easier clean-up:)
Gravy & Cranberry Sauce
- Favorites from elsewhere
- Holiday cooking tips: Cranberry sauce and gravy can be made the weekend before or even earlier if you freeze them. For gravy, make your life easier and grab high quality poultry stock from your local butcher’s freezer section. If you’re going the mushroom gravy route, make your own porcini stock.
Stuffing/casseroles
- Favorites from my archive
- Mushroom Strata with Gruyere and Thyme
- Favorites from elsewhere
- “Simple is Best” Dressing
- Spinach and Cheese Strata (like stuffing but, some would argue, better)
- Crusty Baked Cauliflower and Farro
- Holiday cooking tips: Make stuffings and casseroles up to two days in advance. For stuffings, use good quality bread and rip it up a day or two ahead of making stuffing so that it gets crunchy; that way, it’s a sponge for the flavorful stock and other aromatics.
Potatoes
- Favorites from elsewhere
- Don’t mess with the classic. Use more butter, cream, sour cream and or creme fraiche than seems reasonable. According to Bon Appetit, German Butterball potatoes produce the creamiest, fluffiest mash.
Orange vegetables
- Looking through my archives, I obviously have a soft spot for orange vegetables.
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Yogurt and Pomegranate (pictured below)
- Roasted Winter Squash, Farro and Garlicky Kale Salad
- Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Toasted Almonds, Mint and Tahini
- Roasted Kabocha Squash with Hazelnut-Cranberry Gremolata
- Roasted Kabocha Squash with Burrata
- Roasted Squash, Harvest Grapes and Sage With Burrata
- Delicata Squash with Golden Raisin Agrodolce and Pecorino
- Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad with Fig-Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Roasted Winter Squash with Burrata and Pumpkin Seeds
- Rian’s Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Garam Masala, Sage And Thyme
- Quinoa, Kale and Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Salted Yogurt
- Brown Butter Steam-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Arugula and Date Salad with Tahini Dressing
- Holiday cooking tips:
- The farro and sweet potato salad above could be made a day ahead and elements of the rest of these dishes could be prepped in advanced. Leave any veggie roasting for the day off for best results.
Green vegetables
- My recipe archive is deep in the Brussels sprouts department, though some options are detailed under Salad below.
- Holiday cooking tips:
- Elements of most of these dishes could be prepared ahead. However, roasting or stovetop cooking of the vegetables should be finished day-of for best results.
Salad (in addition to the salads mentioned above)
- Favorites from my archive
- Simple Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad (with lots of suggestions for how it can be dressed up)
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Grapes and Toasted Walnuts
- Brussels Sprouts, Arugula and Apple Salad with Spiced Pepitas
- Raw and Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts, Grapes and Mozzarella
- Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Apple and Hazelnuts
- Roasted Apple and Fennel Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
- Arugula, Roasted Fig and Red Onion Salad with Crumbled Goat Cheese
- Massaged Lacinato, Apple and Celery Salad with Almonds and Pecorino (pictured below)
- Avocado-Massaged Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds and Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette (Aka Katherine’s Kale Salad)
- Gillian’s Kale and Fennel Salad
- Lacinato Kale, Roasted Wild Mushroom and Avocado Salad
- Holiday cooking tips:
- Elements of most of these salads could be prepared a day ahead but toss everything together with the viniagrette right before eating.
Dessert
- Unless you love to bake, feel free to outsource pie. I do this annually because my local option, Four and Twenty Blackbirds actually does it better than I could. Worth every penny.
- If you’re not a pie person, try my Easiest Apple Crisp
- If I was tasked with dessert this year and was allowed to make something other than pie, I’d be making David Lebovitz’s Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding
HAPPIEST HOLIDAYS!