I love to get the whole family in the kitchen to prepare our Thanksgiving meal. The night before we make our pies and do any of the prep work, such as precutting vegetables or crisping up sausage and bacon for side dishes.

On Thanksgiving day we sit down with hot chocolate, coffee, and apple pastries to watch the parade. As soon as it’s over we all hit the kitchen, assembling dishes and carfully adhering to the posted time schedule for what goes in the oven when.

Once the Turkey is in we sit down for a fun game of Monopoly or Clue. A game we will have to pause for dinner and take up again during dessert.

 

Ingredients

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

3 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

2 shallots, minced

1 (12-lb.) turkey, cut into 8 pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 medium potatoes, cut into 2″ pieces

3 carrots, cut into 2″ pieces

3 turnips, cut into 2″ pieces

1 celery root, cut into 2″ pieces

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2″ pieces

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

5 sprigs each fresh thyme and rosemary

1 cup white wine or sherry

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions

Heat oven to 500°. In a bowl, mix butter, parsley, cumin, paprika, and shallots; set aside. Season turkey with salt and pepper. Loosen turkey skin; rub butter under skin. Combine root vegetables and squash in a bowl. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss. Transfer vegetables to a large roasting pan; spread to cover bottom. Arrange thyme and rosemary over vegetables. Arrange turkey over herbs and vegetables. Roast turkey for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into each turkey breast reads 150° and each leg, thigh, and wing reads 160°, about 1 hour. (Some pieces will be done before others.) Continue cooking vegetables until tender. Discard herbs; transfer vegetables to a serving platter along with turkey and tent with foil to keep warm.

Pour pan juices into a large measuring cup. Pour off and discard fat; transfer liquid to a 2-qt. saucepan. Add wine; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together cornstarch and ½ cup water in a small bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into reduced liquid; return to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve gravy with turkey and vegetables.

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Quick tip: Careful pre-planning will make your Thanksgiving much more enjoyable. Prep as many of the recipes as possible the night before and have a detailed time schedule of what goes in the oven when. You don’t want to find yourself alone and frustrated standing in the kitchen all day. Enjoy your family and friends!

Recipe courtesy of Saveur. Image courtesy of Food Lion.