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SALT LAKE CITY — With Thanksgiving creeping up quicker than we can put away the Halloween decorations, it’s time to break out the recipe books and start planning our menus.
Thanksgiving is a holiday of culinary traditions. Probably more than any special occasion, for most Americans, Thanksgiving means a staple of dishes that cannot be substituted or omitted. Potatoes are one of those ingredients that make up a large portion of the sides on a Thanksgiving spread.
Sweet potatoes, russets, yukon golds and reds all show up traditionally on the table at the end of November in various forms. Recipes are varied, but at the heart of a good potato dish is, well, heart. Here are a few tried and true potato recipes to get you started on your holiday menu planning.
A good sweet potato casserole is a classic Thanksgiving dish sure to please. One thing is for sure — it’s hard to make a good, health conscious sweet potato casserole. So we’re not even going to try.
This recipe from All Recipes.com calls for heavy cream, eggs, and pecans, among a list of other delectable ingredients. Many have suggested cutting down the sugar from ½ cup to ¼ cup to ease up on the sweet. Serve this casserole alongside green beans, stuffing and rolls for a Thanksgiving menu and it will disappear before it gets a chance to cool off.
There’s nothing quite as classic at a Thanksgiving meal as a big bowl of warm mashed potatoes. While many variations exist, a standard recipe will always please.
Typically, yukon gold or russets work best, but many recipes call for reds, which are also tasty and, most of the time, call for leaving on the skins which cuts down on prep time. This recipe from The Food Network uses golden creamers and lots of heavy cream — the best sort of cream there is. This recipe is so good, the mashed potatoes pretty much stand alone and don’t need gravy.
For a quick way to add a gourmet flair to your Thanksgiving table, serve up a dish of roasted red potatoes with herbs. Roasted potatoes are relatively easy to make and only take up about 45 minutes of oven time.
- Potatoes were planted in Idaho as early as the 1830s.
- In 1910, the Canadian Potato Research Center was established in New Brunswick.
- The 1950s and 1960s see the rise of the french fry, and the mass growth and production of potatoes.
- By the late 1970s, potatoes become one of the largest exports of North America.
This recipe from Recipe Tips.com calls for a short but delicious list of ingrdients. The herbs can be altered based on taste; for instance, many suggest adding chives or steak seasoning in lieu of rosemary, or leaving out the garlic salt for a milder flavor. Roasted red potatoes not only taste amazing, but add a splash of color and elegance to the table spread.
Sauteed Sweet Potatoes and Spinach
For a decidedly off-the-beaten-path potatoes recipes, no one does it better than Martha Stewart. While some of her Thanksgiving tuber suggestions seem complicated and a little too exotic (celery root and potato puree anyone?), this recipe for sauteed sweet potatoes and spinach is straight-forward and quick to put together.
The recipe calls for curry, which may scare the more cautious chef. Once added though, the flavor is subtle and adds just a little kick to the overall dish.
For a truly off-menu potato, try these Crash Hot Potatoes from Pioneer Woman. These individual red potato servings take a little time and prep but will impress at the table. They are best served right out of the oven, so plan on cooking them last.
These potatoes call for kosher salt, olive oil, rosemary, black pepper and new (or red) potatoes. That’s it. Not a long list, but the potatoes have to be boiled and then baked, so plan ahead on the time. Serve them up with fresh sprigs of rosemary as a garnish on a pretty platter for a unique Thanksgiving dish that may soon become a tradition.
