Thanksgiving Menu! Any critiques?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How well do you know your guests?

My SIL once started crying when we went to a cousin's thanksgiving and there were no mashed potatoes. (though I agree they can be a pain to make - but not harding than thin slicing a ton of potatoes for a gratin!).

I really hope you’re talking about your husband’s much much younger sister. If not, it is really not the lack of masked potatoes that is the problem in that scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How well do you know your guests?

My SIL once started crying when we went to a cousin's thanksgiving and there were no mashed potatoes. (though I agree they can be a pain to make - but not harding than thin slicing a ton of potatoes for a gratin!).

I really hope you’re talking about your husband’s much much younger sister. If not, it is really not the lack of masked potatoes that is the problem in that scenario.

Probably just a hard-core traditionalist. One of my in-laws (35ish) hid in the bathroom one Thanksgiving to call their parents to ask how to make mashed potatoes when they found out potatoes au gratin were being served but mashed were not. People are super inflexible about this stuff.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t cry over it, or say anything, but people who don’t served mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving are weird, and wrong. Yeah, you can serve other potato dishes as well, but mashed potatoes are a foundational must.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How well do you know your guests?

My SIL once started crying when we went to a cousin's thanksgiving and there were no mashed potatoes. (though I agree they can be a pain to make - but not harding than thin slicing a ton of potatoes for a gratin!).

My family would go ballistic if I skipped mashed potatoes. Son in law would be bellowing. Yukon gold v russet? Yellow -Yukon- don't break down as much so they work well in soup. Skin thin is harder to peel. Russet gives the fluff like a cloud of potato considering all the butter/sour cream/milk or cream or cream cheese in it.

Like when you do a stock for gravy and slop in some potato for a long low cook. Pieces of russet break down so you can strain out stuff and not have to thicken with flour. No need for lump detection. Yukon gold still is a 2 inch cube.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds absolutely delicious, but yes, heavy. I’d 86 the hollandaise sauce on the asparagus and the goat cheese in the carrots.

+1 There's room here for a simpler vegan type preparation of a vegetable. And as others have suggested, asparagus isn't seasonal--could do a green bean dish instead (we do green bean almondine for Thanksgiving and it's popular).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds fantastic! Wish I could get an invite!

Some thoughts.

Could do a few less complex things...likely plain mashed potatoes or plain carrots. I prefer carrots plain and not sweetened. And you have brown sugar sweet potatoes and two really sugary desserts. This is not a recommendation to take anything off this menu as it is in the future to leave room for plain flavors so everything is not "rich". I trust people can get plain asparagus without the hollandaise already topping it?

I would provide a less rich tasting dessert option like natural vanilla ice cream or maybe sorbet. Something for people who don't like cakes and pies. Again, not critical. You know your crowd. And the ice cream can go on the pie for those who like that.

Mac 'n' Cheese isn't part of my family's tradition. Unless you have kids coming...or it's a big tradition
...it seems unnecessary. I love turkey and cranberry and pie...Thanksgiving stomach space is too precious for something as everyday as Mac 'n' Cheese.

I had the same thought. I think maple carrots and brown sugar sweet potatoes are a bit redundant.

I also had this thought. And lose the goat cheese or add it to the green salad.

What time should I be there, OP?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds fantastic! Wish I could get an invite!

Some thoughts.

Could do a few less complex things...likely plain mashed potatoes or plain carrots. I prefer carrots plain and not sweetened. And you have brown sugar sweet potatoes and two really sugary desserts. This is not a recommendation to take anything off this menu as it is in the future to leave room for plain flavors so everything is not "rich". I trust people can get plain asparagus without the hollandaise already topping it?

I would provide a less rich tasting dessert option like natural vanilla ice cream or maybe sorbet. Something for people who don't like cakes and pies. Again, not critical. You know your crowd. And the ice cream can go on the pie for those who like that.

Mac 'n' Cheese isn't part of my family's tradition. Unless you have kids coming...or it's a big tradition
...it seems unnecessary. I love turkey and cranberry and pie...Thanksgiving stomach space is too precious for something as everyday as Mac 'n' Cheese.

I have vanilla ice cream on the side!

I am the PP. It sounds like you have all the ways to lighten up the veggies and desserts covered. Encourage your kids to like cranberry sauce.

I always liked fresh cranberry-orange relish as a kid (which hides lots of sugar in it).

I'd also wean your kids off Mac 'n' Cheese as a T-day staple eventually. So many people feel like they have to add that now. It just adds to the burden of mandatory dishes. The more mandatory mains the harder it is to use up the turkey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sausage and mushroom stuffing makes me want to gag but the rest looks good!

I'm the opposite. Those are my favorite two toppings together on a Pizza Hut pan pizza.

Sone people just don't like mushrooms in any form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep seeing Mac and Cheese on Thanksgiving menus. Is that a new thing? Mac and Cheese - which many love - seems more diner like than something for a special meal.

Yes. It's becoming common in holiday food journalism. I think it's more of a Southern African-American tradition. Like Juneteenth, it's now something that's reaching awareness in other parts of the country and it's going mainstream because it works well for a lot of people. I run across a lot of people who cook turkeys but don't really like turkey meat. And our American culture has enshrined Mac 'n' Cheese as a universally-acceptable kid food (sadly my kids hated it but at least they ate Chicken Tenders).

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/e03y0t/is_mac_n_cheese_a_traditional_thanksgiving_menu/

You could look it at like this: Mac 'n' Cheese is the "new" Green Bean Casserole (the one with the soup mix and fried onions on top).

[Anonymous]

We are going to my WASP sister in law and brother for Thanksgiving this year rather than my Irish sister in law and brother. No one mashes the "spuds" as she does, so I will miss them. But I will be there for Christmas for the beef with spuds and gravy.

[Anonymous]

For those who are hosting guests that require mashed, but you don’t want to hassle with more cooking, you might consider instant. I think they’re much better now than the kind I had growing up. I particularly like the “Loaded Baked Mashed Potatoes” variety by Idahoan.

[Anonymous]

NP-I am surprised people want mashed potatoes that much! I was not going to have any and was going to have sweet potatoes instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP-I am surprised people want mashed potatoes that much! I was not going to have any and was going to have sweet potatoes instead.

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!

This is the time of year for making a pool for your gravy to swim in. Regular mashed potatoes are a must.

Sweet potatoes are an also, not a stand alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP-I am surprised people want mashed potatoes that much! I was not going to have any and was going to have sweet potatoes instead.

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!

This is the time of year for making a pool for your gravy to swim in. Regular mashed potatoes are a must.

Sweet potatoes are an also, not a stand alone.

I already have a bunch of other side dishes as well! I get I could do both bc you have a point about the gravy.

[Anonymous]

Mac and cheese has ALWAYS been a common side for people from the south. That over mashed potatoes for me any day.