A Thanksgiving Feast All Rolled Into Three
Did you ever see that episode from the first season of Friends where the gang’s Thanksgiving plans all get canceled? They end up staying together and Monica cooks. What starts as a simple gathering of “friends” for the holiday quickly escalates into a giant feast as everyone makes individual demands as to their favorite way to prepare everything from corn to sweet potatoes. In the end, the conflict over how to make potatoes results in a very flustered Monica and three types of that mashed starch on the table.
Although we may argue over the best way to make the mashed potatoes or green bean casserole, we almost always can agree that there are certain elements of the Thanksgiving meal that must always be present at the table. Turkey is a given, unless you are a whole family of vegetarians. Potatoes, sweet or regular or both, have to make an appearance. Stuffing, whether it is in the bird or out, made of wild rice or bread, is requisite these days.
Before you go into a coma from all the starch, some greenery usually shows up, often in the form of green beans, hopefully not in the form of a casserole. Cranberries, in a jelly from a can, or a relish on the side, pretty much round out the standard holiday fare. Oh, and of course there's the pumpkin pie.
But if you have a guest list that is smaller than eight people, trying to accommodate everyone’s special requests, let alone honoring each celebrated Thanksgiving ingredient with a dish of its own, runs the risk of a Friends-like disaster of a dining table overflowing with food. Thus, as the chef/hostess, there are times when executive decisions regarding the Thanksgiving meal must be made. Your guests will ultimately appreciate your decisions as to what dishes find their way to the table.
The strategy for dealing with the over-flowing table when you are cooking for a smaller crowd involves a simple act of rolling many dishes into one, starting with the starches. People are always blaming the post-Thanksgiving meal coma on the tryptophan in turkey. But I am fairly convinced that the multi-servings of carbs from sweet potato casserole to mashed potatoes to gravy and sausage stuffing play a significant role in that need for a nap.
So if you could take all those elements--bread cubes, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes--and put them into an all-in-one hash of sorts, you can have the best of all worlds. Plus the bread is still there to soak up the delicious turkey jus, just like your favorite stuffing.
To my list of veggies above, people also include any number of others from corn to carrots to Brussels sprouts. Putting the carrots with the green beans is neither far-fetched nor that inspired. But top those off with dried cranberries and some toasted pecans and you have a very festive dish that pays tribute to the best of the holiday veggies.
Sometimes when only cooking for a few, making a whole turkey can seem like both a waste of food and a waste of time. Since white meat is the part of the bird that tends to go the fastest, just roasting the breast of a turkey on the bone cuts down on time. Or even better, a couple of turkey tenderloins can be on the table for a family of four in under 30 minutes. Be sure to season it well, the way you would care for the whole bird. And with a little help from a reduction of wine and stock, a jus for basting becomes an easy substitute for gravy.
There you have it, and entire feast rolled into three. Although I guess I am leaving out one thing, the pie! As any good chef can attest, when it comes to dessert, sometimes it is just easier to outsource. So head to your favorite bakery, pick out your favorite pie (or two, since you aren’t the one cooking it), and you have yourself a full Thanksgiving spread in the blink of an eye. With recipes like these, dinner will be on the table and in their bellies before your guests even have time to put in their two-cents about the best way to mash a potato.
Made with black pepper, maple syrup, butter, carrots, salt, green beans, pecans, dried cranberries
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1/2 pound baby carrots
- salt
- 1/2 pound green beans
- 1/3 cup pecans, halves or pieces
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a generous amount of salt.
Meanwhile, peel baby carrots and trim off the stem end. Add carrots to water and cook for about three minutes until just cooked through. Using a slotted spoon remove carrots from water to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove from ice bath after cooled and let drain on paper towels.
Trim green beans. Add green beans to boiling water once carrots have been removed. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until just cooked and still slightly crisp. Drain pot and transfer green beans to ice bath. Place hot pot that was used for boiling the vegetables back on the stove with the burner off. Add butter and let melt.
Toast pecans in a small skillet over medium high heat until fragrant. If using whole pecans, roughly chop at this point.
To melted butter add carrots, green beans, pecans, and cranberries. Drizzle with maple syrup and toss all ingredients to combine. Add more salt if necessary and pepper to taste.
Made with olive oil, French bread, yukon gold potatoes, sweet potato, vegetable oil, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper
Serves/Makes: 4
- 2 large yukon gold potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 loaf stale French bread
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Peel all potatoes and cut into cubes about 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch. Heat vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add potato cubes with rosemary, a couple pinches of salt and some cracked pepper. Let sit for a few minutes to develop crust, then turn potatoes every couple of minutes to brown on all sides. If potatoes are browning too fast, reduce heat. It should take about 10 minutes to cook through.
Meanwhile, using a bread knife trim the crust from the loaf of bread. Cut into cubes about 3/4-inch by 3/4-inch. When potatoes are almost cooked through, add bread to pan and drizzle all with the olive oil. Toss to combine. Continue cooking and turning for another minute or two until bread is toasted.
Made with chicken or turkey stock, chardonnay, butter, dried sage, dried thyme, dried rosemary, turkey tenderloins, salt and pepper
Serves/Makes: 4
- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 turkey tenderloins
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup chardonnay
- 1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl mix butter with thyme, rosemary, and sage. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels and place in a small roaster. Rub thoroughly with herbed butter on all sides. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides as well. Place in oven.
Meanwhile, bring wine and stock to a boil then remove from heat. About ten minutes into the cooking time of the tenderloins, baste with the warm stock and wine mixture, adding all the liquid to the pan. Return to the oven for about another 10 minutes. Turkey is done when a thermometer reads 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes in the jus. Remove to cutting board and slice.
Strain remaining jus in the pan and remove any visible fat with a spoon or by running a paper towel across the surface. Serve turkey with jus.
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2 comments
great advice-I will be checking n again soon.
Comment posted by marylou
way to go
Comment posted by manani
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