The Ultimate PA-Proud Thanksgiving Guide

By Emily Kovach from PAeats.com

The most epic feast of the year is on its way and although Thanksgiving may look different again this year, that shouldn’t stop you from preparing the ultimate meal. You might be staying put instead of traveling to visit family, or maybe you’re hosting an intimate gathering at your place. Maybe it will just be dinner for two!

As we continue to adjust our expectations around the ritual meal that is Thanksgiving dinner, it’s more important than ever to hold on to and share traditions. The smallest things, like noshing on a batch of pickled eggs (your mom-mom’s recipe, of course) or crushing multiple pieces of pie even though you’re way too full, can help anchor us to a sense of steadiness and predictability, which feels very comforting right now.

However you choose to celebrate, we urge you to support local farms and producers this Thanksgiving. They need our help now more than ever (and the big supermarkets are doing just fine)! Plus, the quality of the veggies, meats, sweets, and so on, are bound to be so much higher when they’re sourced locally. Ready to rock your Pennsylvania Thanksgiving spread? We’ve got all the inspiration and recipes you need right here:

The Turkey

Let’s get right to it: the bird. Chances are you might not need an enormous bird again this year to feed your entire extended family. Depending on the size of your gathering, PA’s heritage turkey farms generally produce smaller birds than factory farms, this turkey might outweigh the size of your gathering once again. While these heritage breed birds may cost a little extra, but when prepared properly the result is mouthwatering. The lighter meat results in a more tender, flavorful bird – plus you’ll be supporting local farms that weren’t able to produce as grand of a feast last Thanksgiving. The first major step of every Thanksgiving meal is cooking the bird to perfection. We suggest brining the bird for the most tender, succulent results. The poultry experts at the family-owned, Pennsylvania-based company Bell & Evans show us how to master this fool-proof trick:

Once the turkey has been carved and served, you’ll likely have leftovers. No problem! Leftovers are truly one of the best parts of Thanksgiving. There are so many ways to use up leftovers, but one of our favorite clever recipes is Loaded Thanksgiving Nachos! Check out the technique here:

Sides

All hail Thanksgiving sides! Veggies, when prepared properly, can steal the show. Our love for PA produce is boundless, and Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times to embrace the seasonal bounty of our beautiful agricultural landscape.

One of the simplest and most delicious ways to up the veg ante is roasting. A relatively high oven temperature helps caramelize vegetables, especially root veggies, and draw out their natural sweetness.

Check out recipes for:

• Roasted PA brussels sprouts 2 ways: with pancetta and sriracha aioli
• Roasted PA carrots 2 ways: chipotle honey and spice-rubbed
• Roasted PA sweet potatoes 2 ways: honey and maple
• Roasted PA potatoes 2 ways: rosemary and mustard vinegar
• Roasted PA mushrooms 2 ways: thyme and shallots and sesame miso.

Gratins — essentially mac-and-cheese’s and vegetable’s love child — are also a supremely easy and satisfying side dish. Essentially, a gratin is a casserole, enriched with cream, eggs and/or cheese, and topped with a crunchy crust, usually breadcrumbs. You can “gratin” almost anything, from macaroni to Brussels sprouts to crab to eggplant. In a quintessentially French way, this method takes the main ingredient and bathes it under a silky blanket of creamy goodness, and tops it with a savory, crispy layer for extra textural delight.

Check out recipes for:

• Cheesy butternut sage and gratin
• Creamy roasted garlic cauliflower gratin
• Smoky bacon and brussels sprouts gratin.

Mashed potatoes are an absolute must for the spread. To not include this iconic Thanksgiving dish is something like sacrilege! Many families use their own special mashed potato recipes and techniques, but if you’re looking for a creative twist, consider loaded baked mashed potatoes, with all the flavors of a classic loaded baked potato; poutine mashed potatoes, which channel the classic Canadian pub appetizer; and pumpkin Parmesan mashed potatoes, a perfect marriage of fall flavors.

Mashed sweet potatoes are a delicious addition, as well! You’ll find heaps of sweet potatoes during this time of year at farmers markets; heirloom jewel and garnet varieties add an extra-vivid pop of flavor.

Stuffing — or dressing, which is stuffing cooked outside of the bird — is another traditional side that you can spin a number of awesome directions that go well above and beyond average. Try paw-paw stuffing, which uses a native Pennsylvania fruit, or Dutch-style potato stuffing for homestyle comfort food vibes. You can also swap in different kinds of bread to update the dish, like brioche, corn bread or baguette. Want to take it over the top? Try croissant stuffing! Ask your favorite local cafe or bakery if they have any day-olds for sale, because when it comes to stuffing, stale is actually a good thing!

Who doesn’t love a good bread basket? Tender, fluffy Parker House rolls are a crowd-pleaser (made with PA dairy, of course), as are biscuits and corn bread. Our maple cider bread and herbed potato foccacia would also be slam dunks.

Double down on your PA pride with our dried sweet corn muffins with salted honey butter, which use John Cope’s Dried Sweet Corn, a sweet, grassy, intensely corn-y dried corn product from a Lancaster-based company. The traditional way of cooking Cope’s Dried Sweet Corn is to give it an overnight soak, then simmer on the stovetop with its soaking liquid, butter, salt, pepper and a bit of diced onion. There is an alternate method, which some call Pennsylvania Dutch Risotto, where the dried corn is cooked, much like risotto, over a low flame, with frequent additions of milk and lots of stirring. The result is a smooth, polenta-like porridge that for many Pennsylvanians is pure comfort.

To accompany all of those rich dishes, be sure to include a few other veggies on the table. Keep it on-season with a Brussels sprouts salad topped with PA chestnuts and parm, or a roasted Brussels, squash and lentil salad. Wine-infused quinoa salad with butternut squash and radicchio is packed with protein, and doubles as a hearty vegan main dish.