What a beaut’, right? I know that’s what you’re thinking. Those charred parsnips, that garden-fresh parsley, that chicken, brined, stuffed and roasted to golden perfection, all making for a happy Thanksgiving. But folks, it’s not just about the food. It’s about the company. Invite a handful of amazing people with decent taste in wine, serve the meal on time, and see how magical the night becomes. Maybe even play an insane board-less game where you write what you’re thankful for on a piece of paper, pass the paper to the person to your right, then they draw their interpretation of what you wrote, fold the paper over the first person’s writing, pass the paper to the right, and that person describes what the last person drew without seeing the initial sentence. Fold over first drawing. Pass right. Draw last person’s words, etc. until you come back to the original person, who most likely won’t recognize his or her own paper. Open the whole thing up and read it. Laugh endlessly. Eat more date-currant-buckwheat cookies.
Because, yes, that’s what I made for dessert. They’re fridge or freezer cookies. You make the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil in a long coil, put it in the fridge if you’re making cookies that day or the freezer if you’re making them later, then slice pieces directly onto a baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven until golden. It’s easier than apple pie, it bakes while you’re clearing plates from the main course, and it’s slice-and-go. Cookies—highly underestimated as a dessert competitor.
To start the meal, make your life easier by offering a selection of no-cook options. I happen to make a lot of pickles, so I put out my pickled eggplant with tarragon, a sweet and spicy tomato jam (“Heinz on Crack”), and a cherry jam, along with two giant loaves of homemade gluten-free bread (I only have one loaf pan, so I made a double batch of a millet bread in a pound cake pan. It works).
Then, because I don’t think it’s worth my time to make duck rillettes when my nearby market has amazing options (gluten-free, dairy-free) for not a lot of money, I bought a chunk of that. You could do a paté, or if you’re also near Atwater Market, a fois gras mousse, or if you’re into pork, one of the many, many pork-based terrines for sale. The only things pork-less are the fois gras mousse and the rillettes.
You can also do cheese (preferably raw, organic, and/or sheep’s milk). That way when guests arrive there’s something to munch on. God forbid you try to make something fried to order where you’re frying just as guests arrive. If you’re running even a little late it’ll be a disaster. If you’re me, anyway. If you’re you, maybe not, I suppose.
The beauty of this meal is that it was almost all done in advance. The chicken was brined the day before (I’ll have the recipe for both it and the stuffing on Fine Dining Lovers soon); the stuffing (either in the chicken or on the side) is in the oven when guests arrive.
The salad is made in advance. You can even have it sitting on the table. It’s a great centerpiece.
And the potatoes and pot liquor greens that I cooked in boiled brine to make them salty, sweet, and savoury only needed about 15 minutes at a simmer. Boiled and drained, they’re about the easiest side dishes around.
Because you don’t need or want to overpower this chicken. Really you don’t need the greens of the potatoes. They’re pure gluttony. You already have tons of carbs in the stuffing, and that salad could feed an army, right? Then all you do is scrape up those pan drippings and optionally sieve them. They should be salty and sweet enough from the brine that cooks down into them. Easiest gravy around without the endless stirring and thickening. True, it doesn’t thicken, but I’m not a believe in gravy when the chicken is brined. It’s like adding ketchup—overkill.
The only other thing to be careful about is the salt in the stuffing. Don’t add any to the stuffing you put directly into the bird! The brine soaks in and trust me, it’ll be plenty salty. The only other other thing is to drink lots of water because boy, this is tasty, but boy, this is salty. And drinking wine is going to make you extremely dehydrated. Which makes that aforementioned game more hilarious, but makes the morning after less fun.
And all this generally leads to at least one proposal of marriage by the end of the night. I blame the wine. He or she usually blames my cooking skills. I prefer, however, someone who’s self-aware, and usually decline politely. If I can brine and stuff and roast two chickens and put out the spread pictured above and play hostess as though I’ve been doing it my whole life, why not let myself get snapped up by the charming fellow or lady at my party? Well, I guess I have about a year to come up with a strong answer to that question. At least until American Thanksgiving, but I may take that holiday off.
General Gluten-Free Stuffing Recipe
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 cups cubed gluten-free bread
1 tsp dried thyme
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup chicken stock or water
1 cup more chicken stock and 1/2 tsp salt, only if cooking stuffing outside the bird
Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Combine with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Massage with hands to combine. Stuff chicken loosely. Roast according to turkey recipe.
Place any remaining stuffing in a baking sheet and roast, covered in foil, alongside turkey in last 45 minutes. Remove foil for last 10 minutes. Remove from oven and re-cover to keep warm until serving.
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