In Smitten Kitchen Every Day, Deb Perelman's newest, soon-to-be-classic cookbook, the OG blogger sings the praises of the "unfussy, triumphant" dishes that lift you out of dinnertime monotony and feel like old friends. But we had to wonder: How do you maintain that casual, offhand brilliance when faced with a cooking challenge like Thanksgiving? To nobody's surprise, Perelman had given this plenty of thought.
"Thanksgiving is like the food Olympics for most people," Perelman pointed out when I spoke to her recently. "For a lot of people, itās the only time they cook all year...for others itās the only time they entertain all year. They go from 'I think Iāll have some rotisserie chicken this week' to 'Iām going to cook turkey for 20 people.' And I canāt imagine why that's stressful!"
Below, Perelman's real-world tips on how to make the holiday completely survivableāand even enjoyable.
Stop overcomplicating your menu
Every family is different, but most people are just looking for classics that just tastes good in a comforting way. You donāt have to reinvent the wheel. The simplest food is sometimes the best. Iām also a fan of doing bigger portions of fewer dishes. Just focus on the dishes that everyone wants to have, and if you want more dishes on the table, outsource them.
I feel like the holidays are so much about the classics. People travel for Thanksgiving, they take planes and theyāre in the car for six hours and itās probably not because you hoped someone stuffed the apple pie with star anise. The classics work for a reason.
Beware of brining bags
Iām a big fan of brining. Itās a great way to get salt and juiciness in there, but it can also be a logistical nightmare. You have these brine bags, with the turkey and gallons of liquid, but the weight of the liquid is going to open the bag, and now youāre cleaning up salmonella juice from every corner of your kitchen. One of my favorite tips is to empty your produce drawer and brine your turkey in that instead of a bag.
Or just dry brine. Everyone is Team Dry Brine.
Upgrade your mashed potatoes
I did brown butter mashed potatoes with meatloaf in my first cookbook, and everyone just talked about the mashed potatoes. It really helps enunciate the flavor, the toastiness. Iām coming to mashed potatoes as someone whoās not obsessed with them, so Iām also a big fan of adding buttermilk or sour cream instead of just cream. I feel that tang and nuttiness and salt really helps enhance the flavors. I also really like to put chives on them.
Use butter (and cream) the right way
I also really like finishing a dish with butter. Do not put all the butter in the dish, ever. Leave a bit of butter aside and then top it with the butter, because thatās the butter youāre going to taste. I feel that way about cream, too. And people say āOh my god, Iāve never had such rich mashed potatoes in my life.ā But it's literally the same ingredients, in the same quantity.
Join #teamcasserole
For Thanksgiving, I am team casserole. I think everything should come out in a casserole dish. I have a favorite inexpensive 9x13 baking dish I like to use. Itās lightweight, it washes fantastically. I like really simple stuff thatās sturdy and not too heavy. Iāll put everything in that. $19.40 on Amazon. If you think you need two, buy three.
Don't be afraid to outsource
There are a lot of things that are better when made in your own kitchen, like turkey or sides. But there are things like pie that can be outsourced. It makes no sense for me to bring the turkey, but it does make sense to bring the pie.
Exhaust yourself the day before Thanksgiving
Iām a big fan of getting prep out of the way. I tend to front-load as much as I can into the day before Thanksgiving. The day before, I am not a happy person, but it does set a more relaxed tone for the holiday. On Thanksgiving Day, I donāt want to be in a cross mood. I don't want to greet guests while sweating, and say āokay, let me just get a couple minutes to changeā. Other people, they love to cook right through Thanksgivingāthey want their day of cooking, ending by their festival of eating. I feel tired and sweaty if I do that, and I want to feel the opposite when Iām having people over.
I usually do at least one rich, gooey baked casserole, and thereās no reason that needs to be baked the day of. Stuffing is another thing you can make the day before, like a potato and greens gratin, or just have it sitting in the fridge, ready to bake, the day before.
People will come hungry. Give them hot cheese.
Youāre not going to eat a big meal before heading over to someoneās house for Thanksgiving. And last year, of course, the turkey went into the oven 45 minutes late, and took an hour longer than I thought it would to cook, and now youāre 2 hours late. And people were hungry! So this baked camembert has become my go-to party snack. It uses all the Thanksgiving herbs, and you can totally throw it into the oven with your turkey. And people devoured it. My friend did a Snapchat of eight people devouring it. You can go broke buying a bunch of cheeses from a cheese shop, but warm cheese is so much more enjoyable. Baked cheese saves your butt.
This interview has been condensed and edited slightly for clarity.
