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I am just going to say it, Turkey is only... OK
Thundyrkatz
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey all, so we are, amazingly, not so far away from Thanksgiving (for those of us in the states anyway). My wife, and family are HUGE fans of Thanksgiving, and turkey and all the fixings and what not, and I am just.. not. I mean its fine, but it is a LOT of work for what amounts to a large dinner in my opinion.
Well, this year we are hosting it at our house for the first time, which has all of its own issues, which is not that big of a deal. However, its pretty obvious that I am disinterested, and I don't want to be a buzzkill at my own party. So I have a plan, and this is where I hope you guys can help me.
I think I would be more enthusiastic about this whole thing if there was something different, and delicious that I would be looking forward to having for dinner. Now, we will have all the normal stuff. Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberry sauce (from a can, we are not monsters). etc etc...
So, I would like to try 1 new dish this Thanksgiving. I am looking for a side that is not too complex, that we could have alongside everything for anyone that wanted to join me on this flavor journey. So, do any of you have a dish that you have at thanksgiving that is different from the norm? Ideally I would like to pick a couple and try to make them at least once beforehand.
Well, this year we are hosting it at our house for the first time, which has all of its own issues, which is not that big of a deal. However, its pretty obvious that I am disinterested, and I don't want to be a buzzkill at my own party. So I have a plan, and this is where I hope you guys can help me.
I think I would be more enthusiastic about this whole thing if there was something different, and delicious that I would be looking forward to having for dinner. Now, we will have all the normal stuff. Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberry sauce (from a can, we are not monsters). etc etc...
So, I would like to try 1 new dish this Thanksgiving. I am looking for a side that is not too complex, that we could have alongside everything for anyone that wanted to join me on this flavor journey. So, do any of you have a dish that you have at thanksgiving that is different from the norm? Ideally I would like to pick a couple and try to make them at least once beforehand.
+1
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We changed our small turkey to a large chicken. And we marinated them overnight, using a big pot.
It was... amazing and tasted way better than a turkey.
It's all about the stuffing for me.
Some faves I have from various Turkey Days past:
Green beans - throw a little salt on them and steam them, easy peasy.
Roasted Squash or Baked Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar - Delicious and earthy
Sauteed asparagus with orange - Can also do garlic, but works best when paired with orange/cranberry sauce for a consistent theme
Other options:
Roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, throw potato or beets in if you want) with a honey-ginger glaze - Fuckin' rad man.
Spinach sauteed with garlic and olive oil - kind of a pain since you have to do it right when you serve, but tasty and nutritious.
It really doesn't have to be "Thanksgiving" specific, just make sure the ingredients/flavor profile are in line with the rest of the dishes.
One of my favorites is a family recipe that's basically this:
http://www.scdrecipe.com/recipes-vegetable/gratin-of-four-onions/ without the cheese. It's just sautéed onions in heavy cream, cooked until thick. It's amazing.
In recent years I've made these Brussels sprouts a regular thing:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels-Sprouts-with-Shallots-and-Wild-Mushrooms-236410 - it's pretty simple; just nicely cooked Brussels sprouts with some fried onions and mushrooms mixed in. Another relatively healthy vegetable addition has been greens (any cookable greens- kale, chard, spinach) sautéed with garlic. And butter. Mmm.
Cranberry sauce is really, really easy to make yourself, if you want a lumpier version to go alongside the canned. And you can add things to suit your own taste, whether that's lime peel, fruit chunks, or, I dunno, bacon. You can get pretty crazy with stuffing, and offer a second stuffing option with oysters/bacon/apple/whatever you don't normally have.
For dessert, I like to add a chocolate pecan pie to the lineup: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bittersweet-Chocolate-Pecan-Pie-240605
For last year's Thanksgiving I ran a campaign among my relatives to have a Mexican Thanksgiving and got everyone to make Mexican dishes. It was a really great change of pace and everything turned out awesome/people enjoyed it and it wasn't the same ol' stuff. I know that this is probably far too radical for your average American family, though. You should just make a pan of enchiladas or something as a side dish and enjoy that along with your traditional Thanksgiving meal.
I think roasting mushrooms, garlic, and thyme together would be a quick and easy side that would be super delicious.
Mashed potatoes? Check.
Gravy? Check.
Meat? Check.
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Deep fried turkey can easily turn the skin a much less appetizing blackened mess, but oh man can it really taste amazing.
I tried brining my turkey a couple years back and it made an amazing difference. Even our biggest turkey skeptics were saying it was the best Thanksgiving turkey they had ever had.
I haven't yet had a chance to try buying wild turkey, but from what I hear it's a real treat for families like mine who much prefer dark meat to white meat. It's like buying a turkey that's entirely dark meat.
That looks awesome.
Also I echo brine for the bird, it helps a tremendous amount and makes it very hard to screw the turkey up.
Do you bring it with making the gravy? Homemade gravy with some fresh herbs is really bloody simple and really really tasty.
What are you looking for? What flavors do you like?
Traditional collard greens are pretty good and not much effort. I've made various cornbread-esque dishes that works well but it's in the same flavor neighborhood as traditional T-day foods. Don't know if it'd wow you.
Agree on this point, for Thanksgiving (we have it at my in-laws) they ask me to bring Cranberry relish.
Bag of Cranberries, a Navel Orange, and some sugar. Wash off the fruits, remove any stickers, then run everything in a blender together (yes, skin on the orange) until it's a thick mix of all 3. Can be made the night before and refrigerated until the next day. Provides a nice tangy and sweet counterpoint to the other dishes. I usually make a double batch.
If people are still in love with the canned stuff, you can do both. The relish has a different flavor to it because of the orange and a very different texture.
Personally though I am not a huge fan of turkey (brined, fried, whatever, its not my thing), so I can understand the OP on that point.
but they're listening to every word I say
This seems like a wonderful idea, I would go to that Thanksgiving! The fam will not go for mexican thanksgiving, but I could certianly squeeze in a plate of Enchiladas. That's what I am hoping for here, something new and delicious that I can add.. not just an augmentation of the same old fare.
Also the Brining idea, that could make a big difference too. I think Alton Brown may have something to say on the subject that could be of assistance to me. IF i remember correctly, he is a big fan of the brine.
I love me some deviled eggs! No experience with Curry though, but that could be fun.
This also looks fantastic! I will try this out for sure.
Also I think someone mentioned cornbread, anyone have a recipe for moist cornbread? i have a pan that could do mini-loaves.
Thanks for the suggestions so far, Please keep them coming. Again, hoping for something different then the normal Turkey day stuff!
As for deviled eggs, I love 'em, and am often asked to be the one to make them for various holiday gettogethers.
I usually get a really good response from doing wasabi deviled eggs (mix some into the yolk, and also put a dab on top for garnish, identification, and an extra bit of kick).
But one of my best deviled egg crowdpleasers was yet another Alton Brown recipe, his 4-Pepper Deviled Eggs. A giant crapton of fresh ground pepper of various colors provides the kick, but it still tastes enough like traditional deviled eggs to not scare away the squeamish. I've made this 2 or 3 times now and it's always a big hit.
I don't know how close this is to what we do every year but it's close enough. Sooooo good.
I will agree with others that deviled eggs are awesomeness incarnate.
Buttermilk biscuits could be good as well. I can't imagine those are hard to make.
This year for Thanksgiving (Canada) I made spinach cheese triangles as an appetizer since my parents were hosting. The recipe was similar to this one: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/spinach-cheese-triangles except it used ricotta and feta as the only cheeses.
Anything with cheese will likely go over well. Home made mac and cheese as a side, cheesy potatoes, etc.
Same thing with cranberry sauce. It's great to offer a variation, but a can of jellied cranberries is like...$.50? If that? Make sure you have some because a lot of people really associate that with Thanksgiving and something will be lacking if it's not available.
Some good sides:
Green bean casserole - a good and easy staple. Recipe is on the Campbells Cream of Mushroom soup can.
Broccoli casserole - broccoli, cheese, egg, cream of mushroom soup, with ritz crackers on top.
Baked sweet potatoes - cook the sweet potatoes, mash them into butter and brown sugar, bake in casserole dish (with or without marshmallows on top). Can do acorn squash in a similar manner.
Sauerkraut & Kelbasa / Sausage - Not so much a Thanksgiving side as an all around awesome side. Get good kelbasa / sausage from a meat market.
Apple dumplings - can be a dessert (more of an 'apple cobbler' style) or a side.
Mac & Cheese - there are a ton of variations, someone made Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese for a potluck at work and it went over really well.
What I was thinking of, and I can find the recipe if you'd like, is more of a kind of casserole dish made from a can of whole corn, a can of creamed corn, a box of jiffy corn bread mix and some egg and a little butter. Bake it until it's the desired firmness and that's it. You get a dish full of this supermoist cornbread-y stuff that is a little like bread pudding in texture. It address the fact that traditional corn bread is very prone to being dry and crumbly.
One thing I find lacking in a traditional turkey dinner is crisp vegetables or anything fresh tasting. It's always a lot of meat and starches and any veggies are usually way cooked down. I'd welcome something like a salad with a sharp vinaigrette or green beans almondine or a vinegar-y crispy slaw or something like that
I made this last year and it turned out well. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Winter-Squash-and-Parsnips-with-Maple-Syrup-Glaze-and-Marcona-Almonds-350453
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pepperoni-Casserole/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=pepperoni casserole&e8=Quick Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe Hub
I think she uses spiralie noodles.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2806663/cola-ham-with-maple-and-mustard-glaze
Interesting show piece dish and will work as an alternative and an accompaniment to turkey.
Thanksgiving Day turkey doesn't excite me as much as other dishes at the feast, but turkey salad sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving are a glorious, wonderful thing. I'll usually even have one for breakfast.
Roast them taters. Throw them in the pan around the bird.
Also - lay bacon across the top of the bird and over its legs to keep it more moist during cooking. Once the bird is done the bacon is crispy. Either (a) be a pig and eat it, or (b) dice the crispy bacon and add it to your gravy
Looking for Edith Finch Pin!
We already will be having the usual turkey dinner with mashed, cranberry sauce, carrots, stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, etc. etc...
So far, am excited about the idea of Brining the turkey first, that is a great idea!
Also, I like the idea of the Cornbread pudding thing that DevoutlyApathetic suggested, and the idea of a Mexican side sounds great. Enchiladas, or maybe Empanadas?
Also Djeet mentioned a slaw or a different, brighter flavor dish to cut through all the carbs and meat which is a great idea, a simple salad with a great vinaigrette perhaps.
I am the one that is looking for a change, the rest of the family is happy as can be with the status quo, so I can't go too crazy here.
So far I am not especially looking at deserts, as I don't have much of a sweet tooth. However, feel free to add a recipie in case someone else could benefit for your unique genius!
anyway, my grandmother used to make this roasted sweet potato and pineapple thing that was really good. I don't know the recipe she used (there's all sorts of them on google), but it's basically just sweet potato triangles and pineapple roasted with salt and cayenne pepper. The recipe she used had some kind of a cream sauce with it, but you probably don't have to use that.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
The taste so good you'll slap your momma!
You really want to get into this? Really?
Yeah, get a capon or something. They aren't quite as big as turkeys, but that's actually a positive because they're less likely to dry out (due to having to be in the oven for less time). Also: like everyone says, brine.
A thought for sides, that has the advantage of being dead-ass simple to make and is also delicious.
You take some sweet potatoes (maybe yams in your locale, I don't know). Cut them into thin discs (not quite as thin as you can make them, but a little thinner than scalloped potato thickness). Grab a big flat-bottomed oven-safe ceramic bowl (like, a really big ramekin if you have one).
Put on the bottom of the bowl a layer of the sweet potato discs. Then smear a little butter on. Salt and pepper, and a little thyme. Repeat, until you have at least ten or so layers (just fill up the bowl, frankly). Put some tinfoil over the top of the bowl and then put a heavy pot or a brick or something on top of the tinfoil (so that its weight is on the potatoes -- you want them to squish down as they cook). Take some extra care so that the discs on the top are arranged attractively, and put a little bonus butter on.
Fire them in a medium-hot oven for an hour and a half or so. They taste incredible, look more impressive than mashed potatoes, and require about 10 minutes of your time before you put them in the oven.