The first year we did Thanksgiving here, I bought a twelve-pound turkey for two people. I'm still a little embarrassed about it. It barely fit in our oven, it took up an entire shelf of the fridge for two days before, and we ate turkey sandwiches until about the tenth of December. Sam started calling it "the bird that wouldn't leave."
Last year we scaled down to a menu that actually fits a galley kitchen and two appetites, and it was the best Thanksgiving dinner we've had. With three weeks to go and the leaves mostly down outside our windows, here's the full plan again, with costs, so you can steal it.
The menu
- Roasted turkey thighs with garlic and herbs
- Skillet stuffing
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted green beans
- Store-bought cranberry sauce (we've made peace with the can)
- One small pie, bought or baked
Everything except the pie happens in one afternoon, and nothing needs the oven at the same time as anything else for more than about twenty minutes.
Shopping list and rough costs
| Ingredient | Approx. cost |
|---|---|
| 2 bone-in, skin-on turkey thighs (about 2.5 lb total) | $9.00 |
| 2 lb russet or gold potatoes | $3.00 |
| 1/2 lb green beans | $2.50 |
| Half a loaf of crusty bread (day-old is better) | $2.50 |
| 1 onion, 2 celery stalks | $2.00 |
| 1 head garlic | $0.75 |
| Small bunch of fresh sage or thyme | $2.50 |
| Carton of chicken broth | $2.50 |
| Butter, milk, salt, pepper, oil (mostly on hand) | $3.00 |
| Can of cranberry sauce | $2.00 |
| Small pie from the bakery | $9.00 |
| Total | about $39 |
That's dinner for two plus leftovers for exactly one more meal, which is the right amount of leftovers.
The game plan
The day before
- Cut the bread into cubes and leave it on a sheet pan, uncovered, to dry out overnight.
- Chop the onion and celery and store them together in a container in the fridge.
- Pat the turkey thighs dry and rub them all over with salt. Leave them uncovered on a plate in the fridge. This makes the skin crisp.
Thanksgiving Day
- About 2 hours before dinner: Take the turkey out of the fridge. Heat the oven to 400°F.
- 1 hour 45 minutes before: Mash two garlic cloves with a tablespoon of soft butter and some chopped herbs. Rub it under and over the skin. Roast the thighs skin-side up in a small pan for 45 to 55 minutes, until the thickest part reads 175°F on a thermometer.
- 1 hour before: Put the peeled, chunked potatoes in cold salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer until a fork slides in easily, about 20 minutes.
- 45 minutes before: Make the stuffing. Melt two tablespoons of butter in an oven-safe skillet, cook the onion and celery until soft, add chopped herbs, then the dry bread. Pour in broth a little at a time until the bread is moist but not soggy, about a cup and a half.
- 30 minutes before: When the turkey comes out to rest under foil, put the stuffing skillet and a sheet pan of oiled, salted green beans into the oven together for about 20 minutes.
- While those roast: Drain and mash the potatoes with butter, a splash of warm milk, salt and pepper. Open the cranberry sauce. Pour the turkey pan juices into a mug for drizzling.
- Carve the thighs off the bone, set everything on the table, and sit down before it all goes cold.
Notes
- Thighs are much more forgiving than breast meat. If they go a little over, they're still juicy.
- If you only have one oven rack position that works well (we do), put the stuffing on top and the beans below, then swap halfway.
- No thermometer? I'd buy one. Ours was about $12 and ended a lot of guessing.
- For a gravy, whisk a tablespoon of flour into a tablespoon of the turkey fat in a small pan, then slowly add the pan juices and broth until it thickens.
Why small works for us
It took me a couple of years to admit that I wanted Thanksgiving to feel like Thanksgiving, not like a cooking competition. A smaller menu means the kitchen stays usable, the dishes fit in the drying rack in one round, and we're on the couch with pie by 7 p.m. while the baseboard heaters tick and Olive circles the kitchen floor looking for dropped turkey.
This year Sam has requested the exact same menu, and the only change I'm considering is a second pie. For leftovers, obviously.
