What I’m actually cooking for Thanksgiving

Plus more ideas for your holiday spread

My family has been scattered across the country for most of my adult life, so I’ve been a guest at many Thanksgiving tables, picking up more and more favorite dishes along the way. Even after all these years of thinking about holiday food for a living, I still honestly love the personal cooking marathon of it all.

This year, we’re driving up to cook at my dad’s. (Yes, I’m bringing frozen homemade turkey stock and gravy in the car, but my mother-in-law once flew halfway across the country with a casserole pan of cooked stuffing in her suitcase, so this feels almost trivial.)

Here’s my menu for 8-10 people as it currently stands.

Before dinner

Crackers + green bean pâté (I make a riff on the Jane Brody version because my mom did; this one from Moosewood isn’t far off.)

Turkey

I played around with confit turkey legs and sous vide turkey breast in recent years, but I’m going back to Kenji’s spatchcocked bird for 2024; adding in mostly-made-ahead Why-Is-It-So-Good Gravy. But don’t forget about Rebecca Firkser’s genius dried-buttermilk brined bird if you haven’t committed yet.

Sides

Hetty Lui McKinnon’s exceptional Brussels Sprouts With Maple-Soy Caramel (Bon Appétit; I’ve made this one a lot and I like to amp up the spice a touch)

Angie Mar’s Garlicky Haricots Verts With Hazelnuts or Kenji López-Alt’s Sautéed Green Beans With Mushrooms and Caramelized Cipollini Onions

Melissa Clark’s Stuffing With Mushrooms, Leeks, and Bacon (NYT, gift link), though I’ll likely use sausage instead of bacon.

Raw cranberry relish with orange (more or less this, though I like to add a little ginger) and cooked cranberry sauce (possibly store-bought or niece-made)

Maybe a simple roasted sweet potato dish with sage (and vanilla paste?), inspired by this Kay Chun recipe.

Dessert

Rum pumpkin pie (our family recipe is from an ancient community cookbook)
Possibly apple pie, using the apple butter filling from this Hannah Ziskin crumble recipe.

If you scroll down, you can peek at everything I’ve bookmarked lately; maybe you need another recipe or two to round out your menu?

I know the holidays are challenging for so many, and I’ll be sending love your way while I stir together a mountain of stuffing, and crank up the music loud.

If you need a friend in the kitchen with you, can I recommend catching up on new episodes of The Dinner Plan podcast? I’ll have a fresh show going live tomorrow, and a special Thanksgiving episode on Monday featuring Dan Souza of America’s Test Kitchen. On Thursday Nov 28th—the holiday itself—you can wrap up your cooking and listen to my chat with the one and only

Julia Turshen

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And now, a fun giveaway from today’s sponsor:

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Danish Creamery Butter wants to spread cheer this winter—and they’re giving away one holiday sweater to a subscriber to The Dinner Plan. To enter to win: 

1) Subscribe to this newsletter.

2) Scroll down and press the "like" button this post, then leave a comment telling us your favorite buttery holiday dish.

Rules: U.S. and Canada addresses only, 18+, no purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends Friday November 22nd. Winner will be alerted via Substack message, so keep an eye on your DMs!

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More recipes to consider

Potatoes

Kenji López-Alt’s Crispy Roast Potatoes (Serious Eats)
Carla Hall’s Ombré Gratin (Food & Wine)
Todd Coleman’s Make-Ahead Potatoes au Gratin (Food 52)

Bread basket

Erika Council’s Mayo Biscuits (Eater)
PJ Hamel’s Parker House Rolls (King Arthur)

Vegetables

Deb Perelman’s Unstuffed Mushroom Casserole (Smitten Kitchen)
Ottolenghi’s Brussels Sprouts with Browned Butter and Black Garlic (Cooks Without Borders)
Nik Sharma’s Baked Sweet Potatoes With Maple Creme Fraiche
Olga Massov’s Crunchy Green Beans With Almonds and Dates (Washington Post, gift link)
Carla Hall’s Candied Sweet Potatoes
Kenji López-Alt’s Green Bean Casserole (Serious Eats)
Abra Berens’s Squash Panzanella With Bagna Cauda (Food 52)
Justine Doiron’s Baked Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette & Griddled Goat Cheese
Joshua McFadden’s Brussels Sprouts With Pickled Carrots and Citrus Vinaigrette Mac and cheese is a vegetable, right?