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Produced and written by Stephen Exel
However it happened, Thanksgiving ended up at your place this year. Good. This is your chance to make it smaller, cozier and a whole lot more fun. And guess what? It’s going to be less time-consuming and three times as tasty. Plus, even if you're a first-time host, you can do the whole thing without calling Mom once. Unless you just want to hear her voice.
Traditionalists, worry not. You'll find your favorite fare—turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberries and green beans with onion ring topping. It's all here, but with a fresh makeover. Best of all, your Thanksgiving dinner won't require a lot of fuss to pull off. Turkey in two hours? Got it. Simple and super side dishes? They’re in here. A good game plan? See our Turkey Timeline, below, on for our make-ahead strategy.
The most important thing to remember is this: When you combine good food, good drinks and good company, you can’t miss. We've given you the first two. You've got the third one covered.
Purchase good small-batch bourbon (such as Knob Creek) to prepare the brine and gravy. You’ll want a sip or two while cooking.
Prep: 45 min. + chilling Bake: 2 hours + standing Yield: 6 servings plus leftovers
BOURBON BRINE:
BOURBON GRAVY:
In a very large bowl or Dutch oven, combine all brine ingredients (give the lemon halves a slight squeeze as you add them to release juice); stir until salt and brown sugar are dissolved.
Rinse turkey breast and drumsticks under cold water. Place in a large oven roasting bag; place bag in a stockpot or large roasting pan. Carefully pour brine into bag; squeeze out as much air as possible. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate 10-12 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
In a medium bowl, whisk the bourbon, mustard, honey, syrup, sage, salt and pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup glaze in a small bowl for the turkey; cover and refrigerate. Set remaining mixture aside for gravy.
In a medium saucepan, saute shallot in 1 Tbsp. butter until tender. Stir in flour. Whisk in broth and remaining bourbon mixture. Whisk in remaining butter. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Strain gravy through a fine-mesh sieve; cool. Transfer to a storage container; cover and refrigerate overnight.
Drain and discard brine. Rinse turkey breast and drumsticks under cold water; pat dry. Spray a large shallow roasting pan and rack with cooking spray. Place turkey breast, bone side down, on rack, leaving room for drumsticks. Brush with 2 Tbsp. of the reserved glaze. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Add drumsticks to rack; brush with 1 Tbsp. glaze. Brush turkey breast with another 2 Tbsp. glaze. Bake 1 1/2 hours longer, brushing twice with remaining glaze, or until a meat thermometer reads 170° (cover loosely with foil if necessary to prevent overbrowning). Turn drumsticks over for the last 30 minutes of baking. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile, transfer gravy to a saucepan to reheat, stirring occasionally. Add additional bourbon if gravy becomes too thick. Serve with turkey.
Make Ahead: Brine the turkey overnight and make the gravy the day before, and on the day of serving all you need to do is bake the turkey and reheat the gravy. The brine can be prepared the day before using it; cover and chill until ready to add to the bag with the turkey.
Don't be scared: Brining is simply marinating using a salt solution. It keeps your turkey extra juicy. For easy cleanup, use our plastic-bag-in-a-pot method. We like using a 6 1/2-qt. stock pot because it keeps everything compact, is easy to fill and transport, and, best of all, fits neatly in the fridge. After everything is in the pot, just secure the bag and its contents with a loose knot.
The very tart vinaigrette avoids the sweet overtones of traditional cranberry sauce.
Prep: 20 min. + chilling Yield: 6 servings
Thinly slice green onion tops; set aside.
Thinly slice white portion of onions. In a small saucepan, saute white portion of onions in 1 Tbsp. oil until soft. Stir in cranberries, orange juice, brown sugar and mustard. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until berries pop and mixture begins to thicken, about 7 minutes. Cool slightly.
Transfer cranberry mixture to a small food processor. Add the water, remaining oil and reserved green onion tops; cover and process until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a jar with a tight-fitting lid; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
In a large bowl, toss greens with apple slices, walnuts and enough vinaigrette to coat. Serve salad with remaining vinaigrette.
Make Ahead: The cranberry vinaigrette can be made 2 days ahead and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.
A 1/2-teaspoon measuring spoon or melon baller is a handy tool for scooping out the pulp of the baked potatoes.
Prep: 1 1/4 hours Bake: 20 minutes Yield: 6 servings (2 stuffed potato halves each)
Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes. Bake at 400° for about 45 minutes or until tender. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
Place the pulp in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, buttermilk and butter; cover and process until smooth. Add the orange juice, orange peel and chipotle powder if desired; cover and process until combined.
Place potato shells on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; spoon potato mixture into shells. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with bacon.
Make Ahead: Prepare the recipe through the second step, processing the pulp of the baked potatoes. Place shells (in a single layer) and potato mixture in separate containers; cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature. Stir potato mixture to fluff before stuffing shells; bake as directed.
Pears, dates, sourdough and honey make for a flavorful dressing that complements the caramel, fruit and grain flavors of the bourbon in the Brined Wild Turkey.
Prep: 30 min. Bake: 50 min. Yield: 6 servings with leftovers
Spread bread cubes in two 15-in. x 10-in. baking pans. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until dried, stirring once or twice.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat. Add the pears, dates, nectar, thyme, pepper and salt; stir to combine.
Transfer bread cubes to a large bowl. Increase oven temperature to 350°. Add pear mixture to bread cubes; toss gently. Drizzle with broth; toss gently just until moistened. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer or until browned and heated through. Drizzle honey over top.
Make Ahead: Bread cubes may be baked a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Dressing may be prepared up to 4 hours before baking. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to bake.
Panko, or Japanese bread crumbs, are coarser and crispier than traditional bread crumbs.
Prep: 15 min. Cook: 40 min. Yield: 6 servings
In a large ovenproof skillet, melt 1 Tbsp. butter. Add onion. Sprinkle with brown sugar, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and slightly golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add panko; toss to coat.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15 minutes or until crumbs are crisp and golden brown, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in another large skillet, saute mushrooms in 1 Tbsp. butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the soy sauce, green beans and remaining butter; toss. Cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes or just until beans are crisp-tender.
Season the beans with additional sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir in cream; heat through. Transfer bean mixture to a serving platter; top with onion mixture. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
Make Ahead: Slice the onion and mushrooms and trim the green beans in the morning. Store separately in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook.
Prep: 45 min. Bake: 50 minutes Yield: 6 servings
Cut off tops of acorn squash and set aside. Scoop out and discard seeds. Trim flesh if necessary to make cavity bigger. (If necessary, cut small slice from bottom of squash so they sit flat, taking care not to slice into cavity.) Rub inside cavity of squash with garlic; discard garlic.
In a large bowl, combine the shredded cheeses. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch, wine and cream; stir in pumpkin pie spice, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese mixture and toss to combine. Fill each squash two-thirds full with cheese mixture; replace tops.
Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until flesh is tender. Place bread cubes on another foillined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until dried; set aside.
Remove squash from oven. Remove tops; stir fondue. Serve with bread cubes for dipping.
Make Ahead: Bread cubes can be baked ahead and stored in an airtight container. Squash can be scooped in the morning; tuck plastic wrap into interior, replace tops and refrigerate until ready to fill.
Prep/Total Time: 5 min. Yield: 1 serving
Place ice cubes in a shaker. Add the bourbon, nectar, vermouths and bitters; shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass; garnish with orange peel.
Small commitments of time prior to Thanksgiving will ease the stress of getting everything right on the day. Many of these tasks can be done after you clock out of work. Plan on keeping Wednesday night free for prep.
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