Thinking about next week, and my family coming into town, and my own excitement about the holiday, I thought it would be wise to start planning the menu well in advance. This will allow me to delegate as needed, do my shopping before the rush, and hopefully have a relaxing couple of days.
Plus, Kenji Lopez-Alt told me too.
This year we will have 12 people at the table, including 1 vegetarian. My brother will take care of the appetizers, my husband has the cocktails/beverages and Brussels Sprout salad under control, my daughter is on pumpkin, chocolate and pecan pies (3 pies, not all mixed together), as well as mashed potatoes, and my son will handle the sweet potato casserole.
The reason my son is preparing the sweet potatoes is because I want him to go off to college knowing how to make at least one Thanksgiving-suitable dish. I would hate for him to show up with canned corn if invited to a friend’s Thanksgiving.
In the freezer I have an apple pie, and I will handle the turkey, stuffing, gravy, red cabbage (rotkraut), and vegetarian main. My brother’s girlfriend will bring the rolls, and her parents will also probably bring a dish to share. That leaves the cranberry sauce unaccounted for. I will ask my Dad to bring a batch.
Here is our 2017 Thanksgiving Menu along with links to recipes.
Print ’em out now, you will be happy you did!
Crisp-Skinned Butterflied Roast Turkey with Gravy (Serious Eats recipe here)
Yotam Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower Cake (Kitchn recipe here)
Ultra-Fluffy Mashed Potatoes (Serious Eats recipe here)
Rotkraut (NYT Cooking recipe here)
Simple Stuffing using vegetable stock (Epicurious recipe here) or Bread Stuffing (NYT Cooking recipe here)
Sweet Potato Casserole with marshmallows (NYT Cooking recipe here)
Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad (Use Real Butter recipe here) or Brussels Sprouts, Apple and Pomegranate Salad (Smitten Kitchen recipe here)
Dark Chocolate Cream Pie (from America’s Test Kitchen Naturally Sweet Cookbook)
Maple Pecan Bars (from America’s Test Kitchen Naturally Sweet Cookbook)
Classic Pumpkin Pie (Serious Eats recipe here)