I know it can be overwhelming when you’re hosting Thanksgiving at your house. How about when the kids are all grown up, living in different towns or states. The plan is to all get together for Christmas, but this year, they decided to host their Thanksgiving feasts in their own homes.
So we all decided, since we weren’t going to be able to be together this Thanksgiving, we’d Skype each other and sends pictures sharing our own Thanksgiving Dinners.
I took a few days off from work because I love cooking Thanksgiving Dinner. The day before I made my Mai Chai Pumpkin Tiramisu. You can get my recipe by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.
The challenge for me was to make a holiday meal that would work for the two of us. Before I start, I want to say, this meal would be a perfect way to reassemble your leftovers if you have any.
I’m serving my entire Thanksgiving Dinner out of the same roasting pan I used to cook my turkey. It worked perfectly! The idea was to have all of my holiday favorites layered in a roasting pan. Once my Thanksgiving Dinner was complete my refrigerator wasn’t packed with all kinds of containers. The leftovers were easily preportioned and ready to go for the following day for lunch or night for dinner. Let me start at the beginning.
The Game Plan:
A Great Tip: When you come home from the grocery store, always prep whatever veggies you can so they’re ready to go when you need them. That’s what I have done here with my leeks in the pictures below. I’ve trimmed them and rinsed them really well to get rid of any sand that may have been trapped between the leaves. Next, I wrapped them in a damp paper towel and placed them into a resealable plastic bag then stored them in the refrigerator.
Earlier I mentioned that it was just going to be the two of us on Thanksgiving. I wanted the table to be elegant and simple. A white table runner, white plates, silver flatware, and just wine and water glasses for each of us. The centerpiece a cornucopia of the season’s harvest to give the table some height with 3 mini pumpkins for some contrast. Finally, a few candles to give the table a touch of light.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Equipment:
2 rimmed baking sheet pans, 1 (3-quart) Dutch oven (heavy-bottom pot), 1 (12-inch) sauté pan, 1 (3-quart) saucepot, roasting pan with a rack, 1 (8-quart) plastic container with a lid, 2 large mixing bowls, 2 medium-size mixing bowls, 1 small mixing bowl, vegetable peeler, chef’s knife, whisk, pint container with a lid, hand-held electric mixer, meat mallet, large slotted spoon, extra-large bowl or container
The Day Before, 8:00 am…
Ingredients For The Brine:
1 (3-pound) boneless turkey breast
2 quarts of water, room temperature
2 tablespoons of Kosher salt
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
The peel of 2 oranges
The peel of 1 lemon
2 cups of organic apple juice, cold
2 bay leaves, (fresh if possible)
1 tablespoon of tri-color peppercorns
Directions For The Brine:
Using an 8-quart plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, pour in the room temperature water, add the Kosher salt and light brown sugar whisk until salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Next, add the cold apple juice, both the lemon and orange peels, bay leaves, and the tri-color peppercorns mix to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before adding the turkey. Submerge the turkey into the brine, place the lid on, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
Ingredients For Cranberry Sauce:
1 (12-ounce) package of fresh cranberries (Ocean Spray)
1/4 cup of water
Zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup of dark brown sugar
Directions For The Cranberry Sauce:
In a small heavy bottom pot, add fresh cranberries, water, orange zest, orange juice, a cinnamon stick, and dark brown sugar, stir to combine. Over medium heat bring the cranberries up to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally. The cranberries will start to pop and the liquid will thicken. Take the pot off the heat let rest for 15 minutes or until room temperature. Transfer to a pint container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate.
Ingredients For Croutons:
4 to 6 cups of bread cubes, 1 1/2-inch size cubes (1 loaf of Tuscan Ciabatta garlic loaf, or plain Ciabatta bread)
1/4 cup of olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons of Kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 cups of sweet cornbread stuffing breadcrumbs (Pepperidge Farm)
Directions For Homemade Croutons:
Directions For The Oven Bake Method.
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Start by evenly dividing the bread cubes out onto two rimmed baking sheet pans. Add olive oil, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper, toss to evenly coat the bread cubes. Spread the bread cubes evenly into a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes turning them once halfway through the cooking process to make sure they brown evenly. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
8:00 am Thanksgiving Day…
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients For Roasted Vegetables:
6 cups of diced butternut squash, (1 large or 2 medium-size butternut squash, peeled, 1 1/2-inch dice)
6 cups of diced sweet potatoes, (3 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled, 1 1/2-inch dice)
4 tablespoons of Kosher salt, divided
2 tablespoons of fresh ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1/2 cup of olive oil, divided
Ingredients For Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
1/2 stick of butter, unsalted and room temperature
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
Pecan Topping:
1 cup of pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 a cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400-degrees F.
Start with the first large mixing bowl add the diced butternut squash, 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper, and 1/4 olive oil. Toss to coat all the butternut squash really well. Divide and spread evenly the diced squash onto 2 rimmed baking sheet pans in 1 layer.
In the second large mixing bowl add the diced sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Toss to coat all the diced sweet potatoes really well. Divide and spread evenly the diced sweet potatoes onto 2 rimmed baking sheet pans in 1 layer.
Cook for 40 minutes, until fork-tender, turning the butternut squash and sweet potatoes halfway through the roasting process to caramelize on both sides.
Once the roasted butternut squash and roasted sweet potatoes come out of the oven, transfer them into two separate large mixing bowls. In the bowl containing the roasted sweet potatoes, add the room temperature butter, dark brown sugar, heavy cream, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Using a hand-held electric mixer, on low speed, mix until smooth. Set aside.
Directions For The Sweet Potato Mash Topping:
Place the pecans into a sealed baggie. Using a meat mallet crush up the pecans then transfer them to a small mixing bowk. Add brown sugar, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper, mix to combine. Set the bowl aside.
Ingredients For Sautéed Leeks And Artichokes:
2 leeks, cleaned, cut into half-moons, and thinly sliced
1 (9-ounce) package of thawed frozen artichoke hearts (Birds Eye brand)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
Directions For The Sautéed Leeks And Artichokes:
While the sweet potatoes and butternut squash are roasting prepare the leeks and artichokes.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil and sliced leeks. Add the minced garlic, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stirring occasionally until leeks begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add thawed artichokes stir to combine and cook for another 10 minutes until they get some nice color and caramelize. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Ingredients For Italian Sausage And Mushroom Mixture:
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons of butter, unsalted
1 large sweet onion, diced
4 ribs of celery, diced
1 pint of cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon of dried thyme
1 tablespoon of dried sage
1/4 cup of chicken stock, unsalted
Directions For Italian Sausage And Mushroom Mixture:
Using the same large sauté pan, the leeks were cooked in, over medium-high heat add the Italian sausage and 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Using a wooden spoon break the sausage up, stirring frequently, brown the sausage for 15 minutes or until no longer pink and cooked through. Fish out the rosemary stem and discard.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a large plate lined with a paper towel. Allow most of the grease to drain off then transfer the sausage to a large mixing bowl.
Remove most of the grease from the sauté pan leaving about 1 tablespoon to remain. The pan still over medium-high heat add unsalted butter, while stirring, allow the butter to melt. Next, add the diced onion. Once the onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes add Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, stir to combine. To the pan add the diced celery and sliced cremini mushrooms, continue stirring. Add dried thyme and dried sage. Stirring continuously, cook until the celery starts to soften and the mushrooms release their liquid and brown nicely, around 5 to 7 minutes.
At this point add the chicken stock to *deglaze. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. After the chicken stock has evaporated, turn the heat off and transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl containing the cooked sausage, stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Ingredients For Flavored Butter:
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Directions For Flavored Butter:
In a small mixing bowl add softened butter, orange zest, lemon zest, chopped rosemary, chopped sage, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Mix to combine and set aside.
The turkey has been in the brine for 24 hours. Remove the turkey and discard everything in the container. Rinse it out really well, and fill it up with fresh water. Place the turkey into the water for 2 to 3 minutes to remove any remaining salt. Remove the wrapping from the turkey, dry completely. The turkey should be tied up with kitchen twine to hold the breast in place. Place the dried turkey on a rimmed baking sheet pan.
Note: The turkey for this recipe will come out of the oven when the internal temperature will be 155 and 160-degrees F.
Rub the flavored butter all under the skin of the turkey and all over the top. Place the turkey onto the rack of a roasting pan. Place in the center rack of the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 155 and 160-degrees F.
Remove the turkey from the oven and allow the turkey to rest for 15 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin and dice the turkey into 1 1/2-inch size cubes. Transfer to a medium-size mixing bowl.
Ingredients For Broth:
1 1/2 quarts of chicken stock, unsalted
1/2 stick of butter, unsalted and room temperature
2 tablespoons of fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
Directions For The Broth:
In a small saucepot over medium heat add chicken stock, butter, freshly chopped sage, fresh thyme, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Stir until the butter has melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and cover to keep the broth warm.
At this point all the components to this dish are ready and it’s time to assemble everything into the roasting pan.
In a large plastic Tupperware container (or a container large enough to hold all the ingredients) add the sausage and mushroom mixture, croutons, cornbread stuffing breadcrumbs, and roasted butternut squash, gently stir to combine.
Next, add the flavorful broth one ladle at a time, giving the dressing enough time to absorb the liquid. Repeat until all the liquid has been added. Set aside.
Ingredients For The Turkey Gravy:
Turkey pan drippings
1/2 a stick of butter, unsalted
3 whole sage leaves, fresh
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 quart of chicken stock, unsalted
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Directions For The Turkey Gravy:
Place the roasting pan on a burner set to medium-high heat. Add butter, sage leaves, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper, allowing the butter to melt. Using a whisk, slowly add in the all-purpose flour to form a *roux.
Once the raw flour has cooked out and has made a paste-like mixture, in the pan,. slowly add the chicken stock continuously whisking while scraping the bits off the bottom of the roasting pan. The sauce will begin to thicken to a gravy-like consistency. Remove the roasting pan from the heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Times may vary slightly to reach a gravy-like consistency. Pour the gravy over the diced cooked turkey, stir to combine. Set aside.
Adust the oven temperature to 375-degrees F.
At this point all the components for this dish are ready and it’s time to assemble everything into the roasting pan.
The first layer into the pan is the sautéed leeks and artichokes. Next, evenly add the diced turkey and gravy over the vegetable mixture. Over the top of the diced turkey and gravy, spread the roasted sweet potato mash then evenly sprinkle the crushed pecan topping over all the potatoes. Finally, top with the roasted butternut squash, mushroom. and sausage dressing.
Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes until the inside is hot and the top is golden brown.
There you have it, my Thanksgiving Dinner layered into one pan.
*Deglaze: Add liquid (wine, stock, or water) to a hot frying pan or baking dish. Scrape and stir the browned bits from the pan over medium-high heat to melt all cooking residues into the liquid.
*Roux: A mixture of equal parts fat (especially butter) and flour to make sauces.
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https://lindalouhamel.com/2015/11/02/homemade-ciabatta-croutons/
https://lindalouhamel.com/2018/12/17/mai-chai-pumpkin-tarimisu/
