Thanksgiving this year is definitely going to be a little different than what we are used to. We may not be able to have over all our family or have to do a virtual celebration with those we love. As a result, we may not bother trying to cook the full Thanksgiving spread that we’re used to. And anyone who has attempted such a feat knows exactly how time-consuming and involved of a process it can be.
Cooking a whole turkey, plus all the side dishes like stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and candied yams is an undertaking that is not for the faint of heart. It also means our kitchen looks like a bomb site by the end of it as we end up using a variety of bowls, pans, casserole dishes, and roasting trays in order to get the cooking done. But that may be a thing of the past if Chef Melissa Clark of NYT Cooking is to be believed.
The chef has come up with the most efficient way of doing the entire Thanksgiving feast using only one medium pot and one sheet pan! If that isn’t impressive enough, the entire preparation only takes three hours. All this sounds like something that we can definitely get behind.
Of course, the reason that this slimmed-down version of Thanksgiving dinner can require such little time and cooking utensils is that it’s a pretty small dinner. It doesn’t include all the side dishes, and instead of roasting a whole turkey it only requires roasting the breast portion of the turkey. Plus, Melissa uses a short cut of cooking an instant gravy ahead of time in order to replace the turkey drippings you’d normally get with a regular-sized bird.
While these sacrifices and short cuts might seem like cheating to some, they might actually come in handy this year as the COVID-19 pandemic means we probably won’t be cooking a giant meal for the family, but will probably be doing something smaller and more low-key. Chef Melissa’s food just might be the answer that we’re looking for this year.
While she may not do a full range of side dishes, she does show us how to make baked stuffed sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, a wonderful-looking sage and onion stuffing, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Not as scant a spread as one might think. But the best part is all this only requires one pot and pan.
You can watch her instruction video below:
What do you think of Melissa’s Thanksgiving meal? How will 2020 and the global pandemic affect your plans to celebrate Thanksgiving? Let us know!