Looking forward to a fun and tasty holiday table!
This is the weekend before Thanksgiving and like many people across the US we are planning and prepping for the big meal. Over the last 4-5 years my partner Mark has taken the lead on the main dish with me doing a couple of sides and acting as his sous chef when needed. It works out well and we have made some fantastic meals! This year we are simplifying things both to keep the work light and to not end up with a ton of leftovers that we never seem to finish.
We watch a lot of cooking content on YouTube and we saw two videos from America’s Test Kitchen that gave us ideas for our feast. The first one was this “Friendsgiving” episode where the main course is Turkey Thigh Confit. The recipe is at 5:09 in the video for reference:
Unfortunately we were unable to get turkey thighs anywhere locally. So, we pivoted to a different idea from another ATK video:
This looks so good and we already have chicken breasts and pie crust in the freezer! Plus it has all that yummy gravy and veggies! We did briefly consider using turkey breast but decided to just stick with chicken since we already have it. This also means that we don’t really see a need to do stuffing/dressing. Now as for sides we will be making mashed potatoes. Last week’s WFD was full of ideas for mashed potatoes and folks shared lots of good recipes in the comments there: WFD v20.20: Any Excuse for Mashed Potatoes. As I commented there we will be making a favorite recipe: Millionaire Mashed Potatoes. As for other possible sides I am looking at maybe a soup; this Scarlet Carrot Soup I found in an old issue of Gourmet (RIP Grumble, grumble, grumble. . .the Epicurious site that used to have the Gourmet recipes is paywalled now):
Maybe a salad that incorporates some fall fruit like apples: smitten kitchen - apple and cheddar crisp salad or one that celebrates fall squash: Roasted squash with red onion, oregano, and mint
I am also planning on making the dessert. I really want to do a pumpkin one but there is an easy apple slab pie that I am more likely to make. That one would only require apples as I already have frozen puff pastry. One that satisfies both apple and pumpkin is this one: Caramel apple pumpkin pie, but a pumpkin cheesecake or a Pumpkin Tiramisu sure sounds delicious!
I am so happy to be doing the T-day diary this year because for many previous years (including my first WFD diary) I have done the post-T-day leftovers diary. So this year when I was looking at the schedule I snagged this date so I could talk about planning and prepping. I love getting excited about holiday cooking and sharing ideas! We also have other good diaries here on DK that put me into the spirit. Monday there was this — Why Appalachians Ate Chicken and Dumplings on Thanksgiving, and today CWalter shared some memories and dishes from T-days past in the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!
Please join us in the comments and share your holiday plans and prep if you are doing any!
And of course I could not write a diary without giving you a recipe! Here is a sheet pan dinner that I made Thurs. night and it was so good! This would be a great meal to pop in the oven the night before the big day.
Sausage and Potato Roast with Arugula
Sausage and Potato Roast with Arugula
from smitten kitchen
ingredients:
- 1 3/4 pounds mixed unpeeled potatoes (red, yukon gold, fingerlings or russet), if small/baby, cut in half, if larger, in 1-inch thick wedges
- 10 medium (about 1/2 pound) unpeeled shallots, halved
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, cut into 3-inch lengths
- One 5-ounce package of baby arugula or one 8-ounce bundle, stemmed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
directions:
- Heat oven to 425°. Toss potatoes and shallots with about 3 Tbsp of olive oil, salt (about 1 tsp kosher salt is what I used), and pepper or red pepper flakes (I used both!) on a sheet pan. Roast for 15 minutes
- Add the sausage chunks to the sheet pan and brush the tops lightly with olive oil. Return to the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes until the sausage is cooked through and potatoes are tender and everything is getting some nice bronzed edges.
- Remove from oven and scoop all of the sausage, potatoes, and shallots into a large serving bowl. Add the arugula and toss with the lemon juice or vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with a bit of good olive oil if you like. Serve immediately.
One thing I have also been doing recently is donating money to a local food bank via the “Holiday Bucks” program at my local chain grocery store. They use the donations to put together bagged Thanksgiving dinners for local families in need. Right now it is one of those small things that when combined can make a real impact. There are also some great ideas on putting together meal kits for those who need it on the DollarTree Dinners YouTube channel. She does a lot of different holiday meals that can be put together with ingredients purchased at a DollarTree or similar. As I hear often; If you need help ask, if you can help please do!
Just a helpful tip!
