How to Turn Your Thanksgiving Dinner Into a Snack

Since the end of April, I have been sticking to the idea that you can eat nothing for dinner except snacks. Snacks are not only easier to prepare, they are much more fun to eat, and are more suitable for small gatherings (especially for people of two or less).

As you may have noticed, there will be fewer gatherings this year, and fun in 2020 will be a valuable commodity. That’s why I created Snacksgiving, a Thanksgiving dish that’s 100% snacks. You can enjoy Snacksgiving as a snack (if you’re really hungry), or you can eat it instead of your regular turkey and dressing. It will also make an excellent prayer the next day, as many recipes can be prepared with leftovers.

Turkey Rillette

Ah, the main course. This rillette is a good use for turkey leftovers (especially any dry nibs), but can also be made with a few slices or roasted turkey from your local hot bar or deli. Simply mix 6 ounces of turkey meat with 2 tablespoons of duck or chicken fat and 1 tablespoon of broth (almost any kind) and beat in a food processor until you get a paste. Taste, season with salt and pepper if necessary and either eat right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Creamy mushroom sauce with blanched green beans

Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving without some repetitions of the iconic green bean casserole. Here I turned the condensed soup casserole piece into a gravy sauce, except I didn’t use any soup – I used dried mushrooms and lots of cream cheese and sour cream. Combine that with barely blanched green beans (and, of course, fried onions) and you get the result, albeit disassembled. To make it you will need:

• 30 g dried mushrooms of any kind
• 2 glasses of dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 8oz cream cheese block
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 large pinches MSG
• 2 large pinches of white pepper
• As many fresh green beans as you like
• Fried onions for garnish (and a snack)

Heat the wine in the microwave for 3 minutes, add the mushrooms to the hot wine and let dissolve for 15 minutes. Strain the wine and set aside, then chop the mushrooms in a food processor. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan and cook until no more foaming (you just want to start darkening), turn off the heat to medium, add the mushrooms to the pan, and cook until they darken in color and start to stick. to the pan. Transfer them to a bowl and pour one cup of reserved mushroom-infused wine into a saucepan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off any small browned pieces, then let the wine turn into syrup (you will be left with about a tablespoon).

Add cream cheese, sour cream, and diluted wine to the mushroom bowl and stir with a spoon or spatula until you get a fairly smooth mixture. Add seasoning and stir again. If you want the sauce to be looser, add more mushroom wine. Cover and refrigerate while you cook the green beans.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and stir the beans in it until they are bright green, about a minute. Once they reach this vibrant hue, submerge them in ice water to prevent further cooking. Drain the beans, let them dry, and serve along with the mushroom cream for the sauce, which you should definitely garnish with fried onions.

Mashed potatoes

That’s right: we’re doing a double dive. This “ recipe ” involves nothing more than mixing an equal amount of mashed potatoes with an equal amount of sour cream and then adjusting the seasoning as needed. I used this bagna cauda mashed potato so no seasoning was required, but a little MSG or my Thanksgiving seasoning mix will do. Decorate with garlic or green onions.

Pickled cranberries and cranberry honey

While cranberry sauce would be perfectly appropriate on a snack board, I think this genre is fun to play with. Pickled cranberries are very tart (think Warhead pie) and this honey is as sweet as … well, honey. Both look very pretty on a snack board and are very easy to whip up. To make cranberry honey you will need:

• 1 cup fresh cranberries, harvested and rinsed
• 1/2 cup honey

Add honey and berries to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stir and cook until all berries are open (about a minute or two), then strain the honey, separating it from the solids (save it for yogurt or whatever). … Let the honey cool completely before serving.

For pickled cranberries you will need:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries, harvested and rinsed
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 juniper berries
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large pinch of salt

Bring everything except the cranberries to a boil and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add cranberries, reduce heat, and simmer until skin bursts. Transfer to a heatproof container and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

Additionally

The diner is not a cheese-free diner, so pick your favorite (or favorite). Spicy cheddar, blooming brie, pale blue are all acceptable options, but I personally would avoid anything too “themed” like pumpkin cream cheese or other such nonsense.

You will also need things to dip into the water. I think sweet potato chips are the perfect choice, although an argument could be made for an extra baguette or rosemary focaccia. Crunchy toppings are a must and hard to do better than pecans in this regard, but you can also try corn nuts (or both). There is no need to limit yourself to snacking. Feel free to add a spread as you see fit. Oh, and you should probably throw some fruit on the board for your health. The apple slices will do the trick.