What are your favorite make-ahead recipes?

13 Comments

• Cookbooksgalore  on  November 11, 2023

  Thanksgiving used to be stressful until we discovered the joys of making things ahead. Now the only thing we do spot is mint and peas which come together in minutes. So from the top:

  Ina Garten: Make-Ahead Roast Turkey and Make Ahead Turkey Gravy with Onions & Sage (from “Make it Ahead”)
  Ina Garten: Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding (from “Foolproof”)
  Half Baked Harvest: Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
  (Easily reheated and served in a slow-cooker)

  I must admit, we try for a new riff on cranberry sauce or chutney every year, but it is always made a day or two in advance for the flavors to meld.

• Fyretigger  on  November 11, 2023

  I can’t point you to a link for this, because I invented it about 30 years ago…

  Sherry Carrots

  2 pounds of Carrots rustic cut
  1 pound of Mushrooms, sliced
  1 bunch Green Onions, cut in one inch pieces on the diagonal
  2 cloves of Garlic, minced
  Olive Oil (or Butter)
  ½ cup or so of Sherry

  Steam or par-boil the carrots until not quite done. In the meantime, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil or butter (be generous, it combines with the sherry to make a coating), adding the garlic about half way through (so it doesn’t burn and get bitter). Add the drained carrots, the green onions and the sherry. Throw a lid on the pan and allow to steam for a couple of minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced.

  My much younger self essentially discovered braising without knowing what it was.

  I think the only change I would make if making ahead is to only add the green onions before reheating and add a couple tablespoons of Sherry to the reheat.

• Fyretigger  on  November 11, 2023

  Oh… and I have cranberry sauce recipe to share, just for the anecdote. This is my sister-in-law in Montana’s recipe, frequently shared in the grocery store when someone sees her buying fresh cranberries and comments, “You make your own cranberry sauce?”

  1 pound of cranberries
  1 cup of sugar
  1 cup of water
  Simmer for 1 hour.

  Simple and unsophisticated as it is, it makes something far superior to the commercial sauces.

• valbe  on  November 12, 2023

  I made the cranberry sauce this year (Canadian Thanksgiving) with pure apple juice concentrate instead of water. I had juice with pulp so that’s what I used. Result – more depth and flavor. The recipe was on the cranberry package!

  2 cups (8oz) fresh cranberries
  1/2 cup pure apple juice
  3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

  Wash and drain cranberries. In a pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and serve

• Wende  on  November 12, 2023

  Change your Thanksgiving to an upscale potluck!

  When I lived in LA, we had a huge group of friends and family who always got together for Thanksgiving with a great plan: we hosted in rotation and the only menu item the host was responsible for was the turkey with maybe an extra breast.

  Everyone else brought the apps, sides and desserts, and we pulled out all the stops, bringing our best versions because it was the only thing we had to make. I still use the recipes we circulated after something was crowned the best we’d ever had.

  Those were not only the best Thanksgiving meals I’ve ever had, but also a great way of spreading out the work and making the day unbelievably enjoyable for everyone, especially the host!

• breakthroughc  on  November 12, 2023

  I love to take Josh McFadden’s Gratin of Brussels sprouts, Gruyère, and prosciutto as side. I can prep it and drive for several hours and later in the day slide it into the oven when the turkey comes out. It is decadent and holiday worthy. I also really like Trader Joe’s cranberry and orange relish. It is an excellent product.

• rmpostonmfandt  on  November 12, 2023

  If you’re interested in a southwestern/SoCal vibe for stuffing, then try this one: Poblano chile and pumpkin seed stuffing. Is incredible and so different, but fits in perfectly with a traditional spread! And the components can be prepped and assembled days in advance.

• Ro_  on  November 12, 2023

  We don’t have Thanksgiving here, but last year for Christmas I did two great make-ahead recipes that were frankly triumphant and adored by all my guests, and that I think could be applied to Thanksgiving too:

  Buttermilk-brined roast turkey– all the work is done a couple of days in advance when you prep and marinate the turkey. Minimal effort on the day, especially if you get one of your guests to carve, and the flavour payoff was AMAZING.

  Freeze-ahead roast potatoes– again, all the hard work can be done in advance, either a few days in advance or a few weeks in advance – on the day you just take them out of the freeze and stick them into the oven and the result is as good or better than roast potatoes prepped entirely on the day.

• KatieK1  on  November 12, 2023

  I always make Craig Claiborne’s cooked cranberry orange relish, which has cranberries; sugar; oranges; slivered almonds. His New York Times Cookbook is also great for stuffing and gravy.

  The mashed potatoes in the Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook, which uses Yukon golds, is also fabulous. And I swear by using a ricer to get the best consistency.

  The pie crust recipe from the old Betty Crocker Cookbook is foolproof. Just use as many tablespoons of ice water as you need to make the dough come together, and roll the dough between large sheets of plastic wrap in a cool room.

• LeilaD  on  November 13, 2023

  Cheesy potato casserole using frozen hashbrowns- you can mix everything together in advance and then just pop it into the oven for 45 minutes when the time comes. Made some this weekend to eat all week ‘just because’ I love it and don’t know if I’ll make it this year for Thanksgiving, since it’s only two of us.

• sanfrannative  on  November 13, 2023

  Good old refrigerator rolls. You can just mix them together and take out as much dough as you want and it’s so easy and EVERYONE loves them!

• ellabee  on  November 14, 2023

  If I were in your shoes I’d make a casserole with the sweet potatoes, and I’d incorporate some chile heat in it.. It can be cooked ahead and reheated. I’d skip mashed potatoes unless that’s going to spark grumbling; you’ve got chicken and bread to take advantage of the gravy.

• Fyretigger  on  November 21, 2023

  Two make ahead recipes I forgot to mention that are better made ahead for the flavors to combine. The first is a shrimp cocktail, minus the shrimp, which a cooked and cleaned while the turkey is in the oven. The second is clam dip, which is a family variation on the Lipton Onion Soup recipe, with clams added; also we ‘bloom’ the soup in a small amount of clam juice before mixing it into the sour cream.