Thanksgiving dinner recipes

Skip buying obscure (and pricey) ingredients this holiday season. These turkey day recipes from A la Chef’s Amy Churchill use common herbs and additions you’re likely to need again or already take up space in your pantry.

Duo of smashed potatoes with basil

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

3 large Yukon gold potatoes
1 large sweet potato
½ teaspoon salt
3 tbsp. butter
½ cup low-fat milk, half and half or whipping cream
1 tsp. basil puree (tubes available in the vegetable aisle)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Peel and chop Yukon gold and sweet potatoes into one-inch pieces. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water over high heat. Add ½ tsp. of salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until fork tender.

Drain thoroughly and return to pan. Use a potato masher to mash potatoes together. Place butter and milk in a small pan over medium heat until warm and the butter is melted.

Add basil puree and salt and pepper to taste.

Turkey breast cutlets in Port wine sauce

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

1¼ pound turkey breast cutlets or boneless turkey breast cut into half-inch-thin slices
1-2 tbsp. canola oil
⅔ cup low sodium beef broth
¼ cup Port wine
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
⅓ cup cherry preserves sweetened with fruit juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. butter
3 tbsp. shallot, chopped
1 (2-3 inch) fresh rosemary sprig

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season turkey slices with salt and pepper.

Combine broth and the next seven ingredients.

Heat one tbsp. of canola in pan over medium-high heat and add turkey; cook three minutes. Turn turkey over, cook one minute. Remove from pan. Do not crowd the pan; otherwise slices will not brown correctly. Work with a few slices at a time if you can’t fit them all into the pan at once. Add remaining canola oil if the pan gets too dry.

Melt butter and add shallots, cook three minutes, stirring constantly.

Add wine mixture and sprig of fresh rosemary and bring to a boil. Simmer for two to three minutes. Remove rosemary sprig and throw away when sauce is completed.

Serve sauce over turkey.

Transylvanian Carrots

Servings: 4
Ingredients:
6 carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal one-fourth inch
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. Italian parsley (flat leaf), chopped
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, cover carrots with water. Add butter, garlic, pepper and salt. Cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook till barely tender.

Remove carrot slices with a slotted spoon and turn heat to high until water boils away and liquid in the bottom of the pan thickens and becomes a glaze. Taste and re-season with pepper, salt and parsley.

Harvest Pear Crisp

Servings: 8
Ingredients:

6 cups pears (Anjou or Bartlett) cored and sliced into half-inch slices
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
⅓ cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1½ tsp. cinnamon
⅓ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
⅓ cup oats
¼ cup walnut pieces, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine pears and lemon juice in a two-quart baking dish; toss gently to coat. Combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1 tsp. cinnamon; whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pear mixture; toss well to coat.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, ½ tsp. cinnamon, brown sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse two times or until combined. (Or whisk ingredients in a medium-size bowl.) Add chilled butter pieces and use a pastry cutter to add in butter (or use hands to rub the butter and flour mixture together) until it is mostly combined. Add oats and walnuts, mix to incorporate. Add chilled butter; pulse six times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add oats and walnuts; pulse two times. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over pear mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown. Cool 20 minutes on a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature.

Eat while warm, and top with low-fat ice cream if desired.

– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter

Going shopping on Black Friday? Use #BlackFridayATL to join the Twitter conversation on deals, parking and traffic.

Tweet

Follow me on Facebook | Twitter | Email