Thanksgiving Favorites: Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Thanksgiving In Nalls’ Kitchen!

7310 Beulah Street, Franconia, VA 22315

(703) 971-4068 ~ info@nallsproduce.com

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

8-10 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed

1 cup sour cream

8 oz cream cheese, softened

7 Tbsp butter, divided

1/3 cup chives, minced

Salt & Pepper

¾ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated, divided

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender.  Drain and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together sour cream and cream cheese until smooth.  Add in hot, drained potatoes and beat until potatoes are fully incorporated.  Add 4 Tbsp of butter, chives and salt & pepper to taste.

Rub the inside of a 9x13 baking dish with the 2 Tbsp of butter and sprinkle bottom of pan with ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, tilting the pan to coat the sides with the cheese, as well.  Pour potatoes into the dish and dot with additional Tbsp of butter, and sprinkle remaining ½ cup of Parmesan evenly over the top.

At this point you can proceed with baking (preheat oven to 350 degrees F), or cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to baking to allow pan to come up to room temperature.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Makes 8 generous servings.

Thanksgiving Favorites: Green Bean Casserole with Herbed Breadcrumbs

Thanksgiving In Nalls’ Kitchen!

7310 Beulah Street, Franconia, VA 22315

(703) 971-4068 ~ info@nallsproduce.com

Green Bean Casserole with Herbed Breadcrumbs

No soup from a can or Franken-onions in this version!

Ingredients:

2 lbs green beans, trimmed & cut in half

3 lg shallots

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 ½ cups, coarse ground bread crumbs (panko works great or a larger ground)

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

½ tsp Kosher salt, divided

½ tsp ground black pepper, divided

2 cups reduced fat milk

2 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup flour

Pinch ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Boil green beans in salted water over high heat, uncovered, for 6 minutes until bright green and slightly tender.  Drain well and transfer to a 3-quart baking dish.

While green beans are boiling, dice 1.5 shallots and then thinly slice the remaining 1.5.  Set aside the sliced shallots.  In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add chopped shallots and cook for 4 to 7 minutes until slightly browned.  Pour in breadcrumbs, thyme, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper, stir to fully incorporate.  Cook an additional 2 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.  Set aside in a separate bowl.

Heat milk in a saucepan just enough to warm it, but not to boil it.  In the same sauté pan you used for the breadcrumbs, melt butter over medium heat.  Add sliced shallots and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown.  Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Then slowly add milk, and whisk continually to avoid any clumps.  Bring to a boil and continue stirring for about 2 minutes.  Sauce should thicken to the consistency of heavy cream.  Whisk in nutmeg, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.  Pour sauce over green beans.  Then evenly top with bread crumbs, and bake for 30 minutes until topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Thanksgiving Favorites: Garlic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Thanksgiving In Nalls’ Kitchen!

7310 Beulah Street, Franconia, VA 22315

(703) 971-4068 ~ info@nallsproduce.com

Garlic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, washed, peeled and quartered

4 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil

1 ½ cups heavy cream, warmed

8 Tbsp unsalted butter

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper, optional

Place the potatoes and in a large sauce pan. Cover with 1 to 2 inches cold water and season generously with salt.  If the water is under seasoned at this point it will be hard to have a well seasoned end product. Bring the pot of water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, sauté the minced garlic in a little bit of olive oil for about 1-2 minutes, just until the garlic is fragrant, and take care to not burn it.  Cooking the garlic first will get rid of any bitey or bitter taste that’s found in raw garlic.

Drain the potatoes well and stir in the cooked garlic.  Bring the heavy cream and butter to a boil in a small saucepan, and once it has begun to simmer and butter is fully melted into the cream, remove from heat.

Pour 1/3 of the cream and butter mixture over the hot potatoes, and using a hand mixer, beat until the cream and butter are incorporated.  Repeat with remaining 2/3 of the cream mixture until potatoes are perfectly smooth and creamy.

Season with salt and pepper (optional), to taste.  Serve immediately or cover with foil and keep warm in a low temperature oven.

Thanksgiving Favorites: 2 Hour Turkey

Thanksgiving In Nalls’ Kitchen!

7310 Beulah Street, Franconia, VA 22315

(703) 971-4068 ~ info@nallsproduce.com

2 Hour Turkey

For roasting pans with a V-shaped rack only!

Ingredients:

1 (10 lb) whole turkey (if frozen, fully thawed)

1 -2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Remove and discard truss that holds turkey legs together. Pull or trim off and discard any excess fat in neck or body cavity. Remove giblets and neck.  Rinse turkey inside and out with warm water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Place the adjustable V-shaped rack in a 13 x 16 x 3-inch roasting pan (set rack sides so the bird is a minimum of 2 inches from pan bottom).

Rub turkey skin generously all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set bird breast-side-up on rack. Pull wings away from body, then firmly twist them to push the wing tips under the bird.

Using aluminum foil, form caps over the tips of the end of each drumstick. If any parts of the turkey extend beyond pan rim, fashion a foil collar underneath to make sure drippings flow back into pan. Do NOT tie legs together, add stuffing, or close body cavity.

Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer near the center of the breast through thickest part until the tip touches bone, which is most accurate spot to check doneness.  Verify oven temperature and set pan on the lowest rack in a 475° oven. Roast according to time chart:.

10-13 lb. 50min to 1 1/4 hrs.

13-16 lb., 1 1/4 hrs to 1 hr 50 mins.

16-19 lb., 1 1/4 hrs to 2 hrs.

19-22 lb., 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs.

22-24 lb., 1 1/2 hrs to 2 1/2 hrs.

Continue to check during cooking, until thermometer reaches 160° (halfway through roasting time, rotate pan in oven to assure even cooking and browning ). If areas on turkey breast start to get browner than you like, lay a piece of foil over the dark areas.

Remove pan from oven, set in a warm spot, and loosely cover pan with foil to keep it warm. Rearrange oven racks to accommodate potatoes and dressing. Decrease oven temperature to 400º. Let turkey rest 30 to 60 minutes. The resting period will allow the internal temperature to reach 165°, the USDA safe cooking temperature for poultry.

Drain juices from body cavity (often plentiful in unstuffed birds) into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter or rimmed cutting board. Set aside juices for gravy.

Cut off turkey legs at thigh joint . If joint is red or pink, return legs to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes (at 300° to 475°) or heat in a microwave oven for 3 to 4 minutes.

Carve the rest of the turkey. Carving juices may be clear to pink or rosy; both are fine. Save juices to pour into gravy if desired.

Time Saving Tip: If you have a frozen turkey, place it in the refrigerator to thaw 4-6 days before Thanksgiving. Take it out an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature.

Helpful Hints: If there is any smoke, check pan and wings for drips into oven; adjust foil under wings, or slide roasting pan onto a larger shallow rimmed pan. Wipe drips from oven bottom.