Thanksgiving Hacks - PART THREE
Did you know…
that you can prep some side dishes in advance? Here are two of the big ones…
Do the Mashed PotatoES…
You can prep mashed potatoes up to 1 month in advance.
PREP AHEAD - Make your mashed potatoes as you normally would, including adding milk, butter & seasonings. I keep them a bit thick, since I can thin them as I reheat them. Put into Ziploc bag, squeeze out any air pockets & lay the bag flat in the freezer.
THANKSGIVING EVE – Defrost mashed potatoes in a pan in the fridge the night before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day, reheat your potatoes by pouring some milk (~1 cup) into a heavy-bottomed pot, then add the defrosted potatoes on top. Cover with lid. Heat VERY slowly, with the burner on low, so they don’t scorch. If you’re worried about burning the potatoes, Walmart sells inexpensive diffusers for stove burners that keep foods from scorching. Stir often. Set a “stir the potatoes” 5 to 10-minute timer, so you don’t forget! If they’re too thick, add more milk. If they’re too thin, leave the lid off for a bit. They’re ready to serve when they’re steaming hot. Don’t boil them.
DON’T FORGET THE DRESSING
Prep ingredients up to 1 month in advance. Assemble the day before you cook your turkey.
Whether you call it “stuffing” or “dressing”, this is one of those family traditions that’s set in stone. Some folks make their great-grandmother’s dressing recipe, others like the stovetop kind from a box. Others skip dressing altogether. Do whatever you want. It’s YOUR dinner.
My mom made her mother-in-law’s (Grandma Wasko) homemade recipe, then stuffed it into the bird. I make the same recipe and bake my stuffing under my turkey breast, so I know it’s cooked to a safe temperature. My husband’s family preferred crispy stuffing balls which were baked on a cookie sheet. There’s no wrong way to do it, as long as it’s cooked to at least 165°.
PREP FOR HOMEMADE STUFFING - Grandma Wasko’s stuffing relied heavily on onions, celery, butter & fresh parsley for flavor. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, I mince one large onion (a large-hole grater works well) & 4 ribs of celery, then sauté them in a stick of butter (the real stuff, not the fake stuff). Then I freeze it in a quart freezer bag until the day I want to mix up the stuffing.
For the bread, buy a bag of the pre-cut cubes or cut up a loaf of good crusty bread – whichever you prefer. Do not use cheap bread, or you may end up with a bowl of goo instead of stuffing. If you’re using a loaf of bakery bread, you can cube it up to a week in advance, let it dry out on a cookie sheet, then put it back into its bag and freeze it until a few days before Thanksgiving.
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER – The day before you plan to cook the turkey, put the defrosted bread cubes into a large container or mixing bowl with a lid. Pour a cup or two of chicken or vegetable stock over the bread and stir well. If your container has a tight lid, put the lid on the bowl and shake well; otherwise stir with a spoon. Let it sit for a few minutes to see how hydrated the bread is. You may need to add a bit more chicken stock, but it’s better to add too little than too much at this point. Next, add your defrosted sauteed vegetables, four whole eggs plus two egg yolks, 1 tsp. salt, 1 T sugar, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and about half a cup of chopped fresh parsley*. Cover tightly, shake well & refrigerate overnight.
*If you want to test the flavor of the stuffing at this point, put a few pieces into a small skillet & cook until they begin to brown a bit. Taste & decide if you need to add anything.
If you’re baking the dressing with the turkey - Detailed turkey instructions are in PART FOUR.
If you’re NOT baking the dressing with the turkey - Put uncooked dressing into a greased disposable pan and bake at 350° for 35 minutes covered, then 25 minutes uncovered.
Let me know if you try any of these recipes! Comment below!
Coming up next - PART FOUR - THE BIRD!!!