David Holloway says pay attention to the side dishes. They can make your Thanksgiving meal. And that green bean casserole? Make it from scratch.
There is maybe no more stressful notion for a home chef than inviting a house full of judgmental and hungry people for a huge meal. There is a lot that can go wrong. You can forget the giblet gravy, the turkey might be dry or the cranberry sauce might not congeal.
There is a lot at stake here. You mess this one up and it will be a long time before you are asked to play host to a family holiday meal of any consequence. What makes this meal so important and so worth the effort is that it is one of the few meals in the year when the whole family gathers around your dining table. In the rest of the world, the fourth Thursday in November may be like any other day, but in America it is a time for giving thanks with friends and family. I have spent a large chunk of my career thinking about Thanksgiving and offering tips for how to pull it off without anybody calling the police. And I have concluded that it is the one meal in the year when the side dishes, the supporting characters, are more important to the success of the meal than the main dish.Roast turkey may be the guest of honor, but I assert that green bean casserole and giblet gravy are of equal importance to the outcome of the meal. It’s no secret that my favorite holiday side is a serving of green bean casserole. It has been for a long time and it’s usually made the way it was always made – with canned cream of mushroom soup and canned or frozen green beans. But even a classic like grean bean casserole needs updating using fresh ingredients made from scratch. It takes a little more effort, but it’s worth it, especially with this offering from theAdd 2 quarts water and a generous pinch of salt to a Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by combining 4 cups ice and 4 cups water in a large bowl. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook just until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the beans and immediately plunge them into the ice bath. When cool, drain again and set aside. Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium heat. When the bubbles have subsided, whisk in the flour until it is free of lumps. Cook until the mixture is slightly golden and smells of toasted nuts, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly. Add the thyme and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms, spreading them in an even layer; do not season or stir the mushrooms. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir to flip the mushrooms, then continue cooking until browned all over, another 3 minutes. Add the brandy, if using, and cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Season with pepper and then scrape the mushrooms into the pot with the cream sauce. Add the green beans to the mushroom cream sauce. Fold in 1 cup of the fried onions. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart baking dish. Bake until the casserole is hot and bubbling around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Top with the butter crackers and the remaining ½ cup fried onions. Bake for another 5 minutes, just to brown the topping. Rolls are the traditional bread offering for Thanksgiving, but who says they have to be all the bread on the table? And is it ever wrong to serve cornbread at any meal? I didn’t think so. Here is one I’ve had in the files for a long time. It’s got a little kick from the jalapeno, but not enough to cause trouble.Mix all ingredients together, except cheese. Pour half of batter into well-greased and floured cast iron skillet. Sprinkle cheese over top; add remaining batter.Finally, corn is a welcome side dish at any holiday gathering in my house, especially one made with fresh corn. This is another recipe from the files that dates back nearly 25 years.Peel back corn husks, but leave them attached at the bottom. Remove the silks, and fold husks back up over the corn. Place on a dinner plate, and cook in the microwave for 5 minutes on high power, turning corn once half way through. Cool until cool enough to touch, then slice corn kernels from the cob and place them in a serving bowl.Season with salt, pepper and seasoning blend. Mix well, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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