Search RoHo Blog

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Meal No. 3240: Thanksgiving 2022

Oh, the glorious Thanksgiving gathering and meal! With great friends, numbering 10 around the table in the dining room, and food that all seemed to come out just right, it was a feast festival of fellowship and good times. Mine was a full plate, with generous portions from all the available meats and sides. This included the return of the slow-roasted beef tenderloin:

Also, an 18-pound buttermilk-brined spatchcocked roasted turkey (I'm lousy at carving but it was so moist and flavorful!):

We had stuffing, using the late famous Mary Margaret McKnight's recipe and substituting vegetable broth to make it vegetarian:

I had our customary favorite of layered green bean casserole:

Here's a decent shot of the turkey gravy and horseradish sauce. You'll note that we serve ourselves buffet-style, another reason I love the generous counter space in the kitchen:

You'll have to look back at the top photo to see the sweet potato casserole; I didn't take an individual picture of it this year.

As for dessert, while I regularly seek to follow the excellent example of my dear friends and colleagues in Woodstock, Virginia—The Linaburgs—and serve up the carrot cake they recommended to me years ago, I chose instead a slightly less involved shortcut to our sweet finisher that night: a quick repeat of the pumpkin spice sheet cake with cream cheese icing.


Buttermilk-Brined Spatchcocked Whole Turkey based on:

"Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin," from J. Kenji López-Alt, Managing Culinary Director of SeriousEats.com.

"Layered Green Bean Casserole," a Jones Family favorite.

Adapted from "Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping," from Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook,  (Oxmoor House, 2006), p. 234-235.

"Mary Margaret's Dressing," from Mary Margaret McKnight of Buies Creek, NC. Recipe obtained November 2002.

"The Best Pumpkin Cake I've Ever Had," from Sally McKenney of Sally's Baking Addiction. [Published 11 October 2017]

No comments: