I love having Thanksgiving at my house. When Dave and I bought our current house, it was important to us to find a living room/dining room combination that was all one level and didn't turn a corner so that we could seat all the guests at one table.
I revel in welcoming everyone in with the house full of the smells of the season. A warm and cozy refuge from the cold outside and from the isolation of our regular lives. A wonderful gathering of our family and friends that we hold dear. We are very fortunate to have most of our family here in town. And I am fortunate that these family members seem okay with me hosting Thanksgiving every year. I look forward to it for months.
The first year we hosted, I had never even cooked a turkey before and was scared stiff. In this, our 5th year, we have it down to a wonderful routine. We always have the same menu and the only things that vary are appetizers and what exactly gets delegated to whom. This year the family kindly told me "Enough with the appetizers already" and had me focus on the main meal. I don't know why I love to cook appetizers so much, but I do.
Anyway, we have our menu down to a ritual and have even pretty much settled into the same people bringing the same things. I always do the turkey, stuffing and potatoes. My sister-in-law brings a double batch of the historic (and delicious) family recipe for Creamy Herbed Green Beans. My mother-in-law brings Cranberry Jello salad (and whatever else I ask her to, bless her heart!). My other sister-in-law brings a fresh green salad. And my friend Shona usually brings the delicious pumpkin and apple pies.
In continuing with the recipe theme, here are my favorite recipes for turkey, gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. I also have a master list for all Thanksgiving-related shopping, tasks, and recipes. It's a work in progress and I'll update it as I tweak it.
Whether it be at your house or the house of a loved one (friend or family), may you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Turkey
18-20lb fresh turkey
Feel free to raise and kill your own, but I order mine from PCC.
Brine
The brine and gravy are amazing recipes from the even-more-amazing Northwest Chef, Greg Atkinson. Since I tried these recipes, I haven't made turkey and gravy any other way.
3 cups kosher salt
3 cups brown sugar
3 T. whole black peppercorns
6 bay leaves
1 gallon boiling water (or water to boil)
1 gallon water
1 bag of ice
Prep the bird:
The day or night before Thanksgiving, wash out a cooler just big enough to hold the bird. Unwrap the turkey, remove the giblets (put in the fridge for tomorrow), and rinse the bird. Put it in the clean cooler.
Make the brine:
Bring the salt, sugar, spices and 1st gallon of water to a boil on the stove. Stir until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Turn off the heat and let it steep for 20 minutes. Stir in the cold water. Pour all of it over the turkey in the cooler and add a bag of ice. Add ice packs if necessary to keep the brine cold. Add more water if needed to cover the turkey. Close the lid and go to bed.
---
Next day
---
Stuffing
1, 12 oz. bag (about 9 cups) Grand Central Bakery Rustic Stuffing (or about 9 cups dried cubed bread)
¾ stick (6T.) butter
¾ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced celery
1 T minced fresh parsley (or 2 t. dried)
About 3 leaves chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
2 cups dried fruit (mixture of Craisins, diced dried apricots, and golden raisins)
1 cup toasted pecans, rough chopped
2 cups + chicken or turkey stock
Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Sauté the onion and celery and parsley in the butter over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft but not browned. Add the dried fruit and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the stock, and the sage, thyme, and marjoram, and cook for 3 minutes more.
Pour this mixture over the bread cubes, tossing to combine well. Add salt and pepper to taste and enough stock to make a moist but not wet mixture. Toss in the nuts.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Transfer turkey to a roasting pan. Stuff the turkey if you’re going to (you know you want to). Try your best to truss it without looking like a HomeEc drop-out.
Get the bird in the oven (figure 4 ½ hours but check OCD-like every 10 minutes after 3 ½ hours)
Throw out the brine. Wipe down cooler thoroughly with antibacterial stuff. Also wipe down the ice packs, if you used them. Start the giblet broth for the gravy.
Giblet broth for gravy
you'll never wonder why that crazy bag of innards is for again
Reserved giblets
1 carrot, sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
Simmer in a saucepan with 6 cups of water for 3 hours (while the turkey roasts). Add more water if needed to keep the giblets covered. You should end up with about 4 cups of broth. Save the turkey broth for the gravy.
Potatoes
6 lbs Klondike Rose potatoes (or 3 pounds small yukon golds and 3 pounds small red potatoes)
1 ½ sticks butter
1- 1 ¼ cup sour cream
Salt pepper
Wash potatoes thoroughly. Do not peel (You love this recipe already, don't you!). Chop into halves or quarters, depending on the size of your potatoes and how long you want to cook them. Place them in a very large pot, cover with water and turn on high. (You can hold the potatoes in the water with the heat OFF for a couple hours if you need to). When they come to a boil, turn the heat down. Simmer until they are very easily pierced with a fork (30 minutes +). Drain. Return to pot (turn off heat). Add butter and sour cream; let melt a little, then mash all with a hand-held masher. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and let sit until you need to. If you need to warm them, add a bit of milk or butter and heat over low heat, stirring very frequently. Transfer to a bowl and put on the table.
Remove Turkey from the oven and put on a platter or cutting board. Let sit for 20 minutes before carving. While it’s resting, finish the gravy:
Gravy
4 cups giblet stock, strained (see above)
1 cup Madeira wine
3 T. cornstarch, dissolved in 3 T of water
Pour the Madeira into the roasting pan and put it on the stove, swirling it around to free up any flavorful bits of turkey clinging to the pan. [This is called deglazing]. Add the strained stock and stir to blend.
Strain back into the saucepan the stock was in and bring to a full, rolling boil. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and boil for at least 1 minute. Serve hot with the turkey.
