Dinner

Look to Mexico, where turkey has been the big bird for centuries. Continue the theme by using the leftovers for tacos (corn tortillas, shredded meat, lime…). We promise you won’t miss your sandwich.

We make lots of things from scratch on Thanksgiving, but pumpkin purée isn’t one of them. Libby’s is our favorite brand.

Adding sour cream to the dough imparts richness and a bit of tang, and doesn’t thin it out too much.

This thin, crisp Turkish flatbread is typically rolled into a cone before eating.

If you like your carrot soup extra spicy, pass some chili sauce at the table. The coconut balances out the heat.

Crispy shallots are an addictive garnish on this slaw.

If you don’t have a steamer basket, improvise: Place a ramekin in the bottom of the pot and prop a dinner plate on top so steam can circulate around it.

Bone-in turkey breasts are easy to find, and as impressive as a whole bird when you roast them in butter and herbs.

In place of collards, you can make this with the same amount of curly or Tuscan kale.

We recommend using a finely ground cornmeal for these; it will give them the ideal texture.

Aptly named beluga lentils look like little beads of caviar. They cook quickly, and they hold their shape. Use them in this recipe, or substitute.

Choose dried chiles that are fairly flexible, a sign they’re not too old.

This recipe can easily be doubled to serve eight, instead.

Leave a nice amount of stalk attached to the broccoli florets: It’s pretty, improves your yield, and has a great texture.

Get your pan nice and hot. If you have a cast-iron skillet, now’s the time to use it.

The key to gratins is having all the ingredients—whether they’re basic potatoes or the mixed root vegetables below—sliced the same thickness so they cook at the same rate. Make friends with a mandoline: It quickly yields precise, even slices.

A dry brine can be applied directly to your turkey's skin for a few hours, delivering big flavor and less hassle.

Diminutive and sweet Hakurei turnips are in season and perfect for this dish; find them at farmers’ markets.

This recipe is ripe for reinvention; use different breads and add-ins to vary the flavor.

Sorghum is a favorite ingredient of Blackberry Farm chef Joseph Lenn, who thinks of the grain when he thinks of fall flavors.

Both the wild rice and the farro can be cooked a day in advance; let them cool separately on baking sheets, then cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before dressing.

A whole turkey makes for a great presentation, but it takes a lot of brining, basting, etc., to ensure the breast doesn’t dry out before the legs are done. There is another way—two ways, in fact: Cook the legs and the breast separately, using a different method for each. It’s possibly the greatest holiday-food “Aha!” moment ever.

A side dish that’s equally good with a crusty steak, broiled fish, or seared lamb chops. Learn how to make this recipe and more in our online cooking class with Sur la Table.

Braising the fennel and simmering the potatoes in cream before assembling the gratin infuses them with extra flavor.