Have you decided on the menu for your holiday meal(s) yet?  I have and I haven’t.  I’m still figuring out how many meals I will be responsible for preparing and how many I am asked to “bring something tasty to share.”

To inspire my gray matter I sent a note to several of my friends who are professional cooks, food writers or food enthusiasts to inquire as to their holiday menu plans.  Most replied with good natured comments that I can’t reprint here. My friend Mike Stines – founder of Cape Cod Barbecue, a working chef, regular contributor to Sizzle on the Grill and author of Mastering Barbeque (my “2nd favorite book” on outdoor cooking) passed along a complete holiday menu with recipes – which I am pleased to present for your inspiration.

Happy Grilling!

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Thanksgiving Menu
Deviled Egg Boats
Herb Cheese Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes & Celery Sticks
Cider-brined “Fried” Turkey in The Big Easy
Sausage, Apple, & Cranberry Dressing
Maple-glazed Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans Almondine
Garlic Smashed Potatoes
(Serves eight)

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Deviled Egg Boats
Ingredients
6 jumbo eggs, hard-boiled
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup good quality mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Sweet paprika for garnish
Peel eggs and cut in half length-wise. Remove yolks and combine with remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mash yolks until very smooth. Using a pastry bag with an open star tip, refill each egg half with yolk mixture and sprinkle with paprika. (May be prepared 1 day ahead and held, refrigerated and covered.)

Herb Cheese Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes & Celery Sticks
Ingredients
4 ribs celery
12 cherry tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Creole mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Louisiana-style hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped black olives for garnish
Cut celery into 3-inch lengths, reserve. Using a melon baller, core tomatoes and remove pulp leaving shells intact; reserve.

In a medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients until thoroughly incorporated. Using a pastry bag with a closed star tip, pipe cheese mixture into tomatoes and celery. Garnish with chopped olives. Cover with food film and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Cider-brined “Fried” Turkey in The Big Easy
This recipe requires advance preparation as the turkey must be brined and then air dried in the refrigerator before cooking. (If you don’t have room in the refrigerator to brine the turkey, put the turkey in a large oven bag in a large cooler. Pour the brine into the bag and seal tightly. Place ice or reusable ice packs around the turkey, close the lid and let the turkey brine adding more ice packs as needed to keep the temperature at 40 degrees F. or below.)

Ingredients
1 (12- to 14-pound) fresh turkey
For the brine:
4 quarts freshly squeezed apple cider, divided
1 1/2 cups coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup whole allspice
8 bay leaves
4 quarts cold water
Cajun marinade:
1/4 cup liquid garlic
1/4 cup onion juice
2 tablespoons liquid crab boil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Prepare the marinade and the brining solution.

For the marinade: Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

For the brine:
Simmer 1 quart of apple cider, salt, allspice, and bay leaves in a large stock pot for 5 minutes. Cool and add remaining cider and the cold water. After removing the giblets, neck, and pop-up thermometer, brine the turkey overnight or up to 24 hours under refrigeration.

Rinse the turkey well with cold water and pat dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Using a kitchen syringe, inject turkey with the marinade (1 ounce per pound).

Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.

Remove turkey from the refrigerator an hour before cooking. Cut the skin between the leg and the rib cage if you desire – to improve exposure to infrared.  Loosely stuff any aromatics like onions, herbs, etc. into the cavity of the turkey. Truss legs if you use aromatics – to keep them inside the cavity during cooking.

Place the prepared turkey in the basket, legs down, and center as best you can. Place the basket in The Big Easy and turn on the cooker according to instructions in the product manual.  Plan your cooking to approximately 10 minutes per pound of turkey.

When cooked, carefully remove basket with turkey from The Big Easy by lifting with the handle designed for this purpose. (An instant-read thermometer should register 175 degrees F. in the thickest part of the thigh and 165 degrees F. in the breast.) Remove the turkey from the rack and place on a serving platter. Allow the turkey to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

How to carve a turkey – watch this video from the National Turkey Federation.

Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
4 tablespoons oil, divided
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup pure Vermont Grade A dark amber maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Oil 2 baking sheets with 1 tablespoon of oil each.

Combine sweet potatoes with remaining oil. Divide potatoes between the two baking sheets and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast potatoes until almost tender, about 35 minutes, turning once.

Drizzle maple syrup over the sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Continue roasting until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in serving dish. Sprinkle with butter cubes and let stand until butter has melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup minced shallots
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the almonds and the green beans.

Cook until the green beans are heated through, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Sausage, Apple, & Cranberry Dressing
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) pkg. herb seasoned stuffing mix
3/4 pound sweet (or hot) Italian bulk sausage
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped leeks, white part only
2 tart green apples, peeled & chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage crumbling coarsely, for about 10 minutes or until evenly browned. Drain off grease and transfer sausage to large bowl.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in the skillet; add leeks, apples, celery, onion, and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and dried cranberries.

Mix leek mixture and stuffing mix with sausage in bowl. Add remaining herbs. (Recipe may be prepared to this point a day ahead and held, refrigerated and covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

Bake in buttered baking dish, covered, at 350 degrees F. for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes to brown top.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
1 head garlic
6 large Russet potatoes
Olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup cream, scalded
Kosher salt and cracked white pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut top third off of the garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Replace top onto garlic and seal in aluminum foil.

Wash and dry potatoes. Coat lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake potatoes and garlic in a preheated oven for 1 hour or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. Cool. Remove flesh from potatoes and mash. Squeeze garlic into a small bowl and reserve.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add 2 teaspoons of the roasted garlic and sauté briefly.

Add the potatoes and the remaining ingredients to the pan and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until potatoes are very hot.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups fresh cranberries (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 whole cloves
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup honey
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dried grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon dried grated orange peel
In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes until the cranberries burst and the mixture is thickened. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks.

Transfer to bowl and cool. Serve at room temperature. (This may be prepared up to 4 days ahead and held refrigerated and covered.)

Cranberry-Horseradish Relish
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups fresh cranberries (about 8 ounces)
1/4 cup prepared horseradish, well drained
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Combine ingredients in food processor. Pulse until cranberries are well chopped. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. (This may be prepared up to 4 days ahead and held refrigerated and covered.)

Giblet Gravy
Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
Turkey giblets & neck
1 onion, peeled & chopped
1 quart chicken or turkey stock
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour

Heat oil in a soup kettle; add giblets and neck; sauté until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add onion; continue to sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until turkey and onion release their juices, about 10 minutes.

Add the stock and herbs, bring to boil, and then lower the heat to low. Simmer, skimming any scum that rises to surface, about 30 minutes longer. Strain the broth, reserving neck, heart, and gizzard. When cool enough to handle, shred neck meat, remove gristle from gizzard, and then dice heart and gizzard. Refrigerate giblets and broth until ready to use. (May be done 2 days ahead.)

While turkey is cooking, return reserved turkey stock to simmer. Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, until nutty brown and fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in all but 1 cup of hot broth into roux. Bring to boil, then continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy is lightly thickened, about 30 minutes longer. Set aside until turkey is done.
Return gravy to the stove top and bring to a boil. Stir diced giblets and shredded meat into gravy. Add remaining cup of stock, if necessary. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Cook until thoroughly warmed.

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For printable versions – click on the title of each recipe.