I have a Thanksgiving confession: I’m not that into the traditional holiday foods. Sure, I like stuffing. I won’t turn down pumpkin pie. And mashed sweet potatoes will do. But I like each on its own. Together, I find it all suffocating. It’s the biggest holiday of the year for Food52, and our business is being led by a holiday heretic!
Back when I worked at The New York Times, I wrote a Thanksgiving story about a Vietnamese-American family in southern California. They made Alice Waters’ brined and roasted turkey recipe but served it with a stuffing made of ground chicken, lotus seeds, shallot, shiitake mushrooms, fish sauce, and sweet rice flakes. Dessert was fresh persimmons, rice cakes, and coconut cakes. It was wildly delicious.
Ever since then, I’ve felt empowered to celebrate Thanksgiving with dishes that I like. One year, we had shellfish rather than turkey, another we had guinea hen. Last year, I made Rick Martinez’s Cranberry Salsa Macha, a chunky blend of dried cranberries, sesame seeds, garlic, chiles guajillo, and chiles de arbol, and Hana Asbrink’s Pumpkin Cotton Cheesecake, a Japanese-inspired recipe. In this spirit, here are a few great recipes that’ll help you break from more traditional recipes and roam free!
1. Five Two Essential Roasting Pan & Rack
This roasting pan, which we designed with help from our community, has low angled sides, which allows for more even browning and for many uses beyond turkeys. Also, the handles are easy to hold with potholders, which many roasting pans can only dream of!
2. Just Add the Turkey Serving Set
I think of this set as field supplies.
3. Handmade Ceramic Pie Dish, by Looks Like White
Because I love our community of ceramicists who are constantly reimagining our kitchen serving pieces.
4. Stackable Wine Glasses
In case you have a bunch of guests coming, these are stylish, well-priced, and don’t take up space.
What are your go-to Thanksgiving recipes? Share with us in the comments!
Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I’ve written several books, including “Cooking for Mr. Latte” and “The Essential New York Times Cookbook.” I played myself in “Julie & Julia” — hope you didn’t blink, or you may have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addison.