Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year for family and friends to get together and enjoy good company and of course, good food. If you are wondering what you might want to serve to your guests, here are some ideas to help make your Thanksgiving a little more delicious.

The Ultimate Potato Gratin

Total Time: 1 hr 55 min
Prep: 10 min
Inactive: 10 min
Cook: 1 hr 35 min
Yield: 6 servings
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

1 head savoy cabbage, cored, cleaned, and shredded
1 (2-inch) piece slab bacon, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the gratin dish
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped to 1/4 cup
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds baking potatoes, unpeeled and thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch), see Cook’s note*
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Finely shred the cabbage. Cut the bacon into 1/2-inch chunks. Place a small skillet over medium-low heat and fry the bacon, until crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to bacon fat in frying pan. When it has melted add 1/2 the garlic and give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon to soften. Add the cabbage and coat it with the butter. Slowly let it wilt. Add the bacon. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and add most of the chives, reserving a little for the garnish.

Generously butter the bottom and sides of an ovenproof casserole dish.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 1/2 cups of cream, 1 cup of Parmesan, and the remaining garlic, Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using your hands, place a layer of potatoes in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and repeat with 2 more layers. Spoon the cabbage mixture on top and spread it out evenly over the potatoes. Top it off with 2 more layers of potato and Parmesan. Pour the remaining 1cup cream over the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Leave for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chives.

*Cook’s Note: Slice the potatoes immediately before using so they don’t turn brown.

Green Beans & Bacon

Total Time: 35 min
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
Kosher salt
1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Toss the green beans into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until bright green in color and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and shock in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the beans again and pat dry.

Cook the bacon in a large, heavy saute pan until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Spoon off the excess bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onion to the pan and saute until soft and very tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Sprinkle in the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until just fragrant, about 1 more minute. Add the reserved green beans and the pecans and cook until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes more. Return the bacon to the pan, pour in the lemon juice and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

Total Time: 25 hr 10 min
Prep: 10 min
Inactive: 20 hr
Cook: 5 hr
Yield: 18 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

2 gallons water
2 cups apple juice
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
2 cups brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, crushed
5 bay leaves
4 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
3 oranges, peeled, white pith removed, skin roughly chopped
1 (20-pound) fresh turkey
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons chopped orange zest

Directions

Combine the water, apple juice, salt, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, dried rosemary, and orange peel in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat immediately, cover, and allow mixture to come to room temperature. Cool mixture in the fridge until you’re ready.

To brine the turkey, remove the turkey from wrapper, remove interior bags (set aside; refrigerate), and rinse turkey thoroughly under cool water.

Place the turkey into a plastic brining bag or a very large pot.

Pour the cooled brine mixture over the top, adding extra cold water if you need more to completely cover the turkey. Seal the bag or cover the pot and allow the turkey to brine in the refrigerator for 16 to 24 hours before roasting.

Before roasting, remove the turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Then soak in a sink full of fresh water for 15 to 20 minutes. Pat dry. Discard brine. (This soaking process will decrease the likelihood of too-salty gravy).

Preheat the oven 275 degrees F.

Truss the bird and place it breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan. Cover the turkey tightly with heavy-duty foil. Make sure it’s entirely covered (cover over the bottom edges of the pan). Place in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes per pound (a 20 pound turkey will roast for about 3 1/2 hours).

Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the aluminum foil and set aside. Mix the softened butter with the rosemary and orange zest and rub all over the skin of the turkey, covering every single inch of the skin.

Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh, near the hip joint. Place the turkey, uncovered, back into the oven. Continue roasting the turkey, basting with butter every 30 minutes, until the thermometer registers 170 degrees F and until the juices are no longer pink.

Remove from the oven and cover with foil until you are ready to carve and serve. Reserve pan juices to make gravy.

Cook’s Note: This is enough for a 20 pound fresh turkey. You can decrease the quantity for a smaller bird.

Apple Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Total Time: 3 hr 15 min
Prep: 10 min
Inactive: 1 hr
Cook: 2 hr 5 min
Yield: 8 servings
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

Crust: Nonstick cooking spray, 1 prepared pie dough round, All-purpose flour for dusting, 1 large egg white.

Pecan Pie Filling: 1 1/3 cup pecan halves, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, 1 large egg, Fine salt.

Apple Pie Filling: 3 Granny Smith apples, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 teaspoon all-purpose flour.

Pumpkin Pie Filling: 1 cup pure pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving.

Directions

Special equipment: a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan; pie weights, uncooked rice or dried beans.

For the crust: Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Roll the pie dough out, if needed, into a 10-inch round on a lightly-floured surface (or between two pieces of floured parchment paper). If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate it to firm up. Ease the dough into the prepared pie pan. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edges as desired. Chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and bake until golden and toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool and separate 1/3 cup; coarsely chop the 1/3 cup pecans for garnish and set aside.

Put the pie pan on a baking sheet and line the chilled pie crust with foil or a large coffee filter and fill with pie weights. Bake until the edges are just barely golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the foil with weights, then brush the bottom and edges of the dough all over with the egg white and continue baking until the bottom of the crust is also just barely golden, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. (Par-bake your pie shell up to 1 day in advance.)

For the pecan pie filling: Scatter the remaining 1 cup pecans in the bottom of the cooled pie shell. Whisk the corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, egg and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the pecans. Bake until just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pie to a rack until cool to the touch.

For the apple pie filling: Meanwhile, peel, core and cut the apples into 1/4-inch slices. Toss with the granulated sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, then add the apples and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft but still hold their shape, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cool completely. (Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet in a thin layer to help cool faster).

Pile the cooled apple mixture up and around the edge of the cooled pie (directly on top of the pecan filling) leaving about an 8-inch well in the center of the pie.

For the pumpkin pie filling: Whisk together the pumpkin, heavy cream, granulated sugar, egg and spice in a medium bowl. Pour the filling into the center of the pie (directly on top of the pecan filling) with the apples as a border.

Bake the pie until the pumpkin center is set with just a slight jiggle, 50 minutes to 1 hour. If the crust gets too brown, cover with foil or a pie crust shield. Let the pie cool completely on a rack.

Sprinkle the reserved 1/3 cup chopped pecans around the pie, snug up against the apple filling. Slice and serve with dollops of whipped cream.

Recipes courtesy of The Food Network