Elisabeth Sherman is a food and culture writer living in Jersey City.
updated May 24, 2019
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Though Thanksgiving certainly has the potential to be incredibly stressful, it doesn’t have to be. I have lost so much sleep trying to decide what type of pie my relatives will like the most, but there’s really no reason that you should do the same. Just follow the guidance of our favorite cooking mavens and celebrity chefs. For instance, these are Ina Garten’s top ten favorite Thanksgiving recipes, and this is what Martha Stewart would bring to Friendsgiving. And now Gordon Ramsay, king of the restaurant makeover show and mentor to aspiring cooks, has weighed in with the Thanksgiving dishes that are always a hit at his house.
During a recent interview with Good Morning America, Ramsay revealed that he always serves two dishes during this epic holiday dinner (and one on the day after): He starts off with a “warm bowl of butternut squash soup,” for the first course.
Get the recipe: Gordon Ramsay’s Butternut Squash Soup
His go-to side dish isn’t a classic bowl of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes (although mashed potatoes are obviously a known crowd-pleaser) but instead, “honey-roasted parsnips.”
Get the recipe: Gordon Ramsay’s Honey-Roasted Parsnips
Of course you’ll be making turkey — even Ramsay agrees that’s the right move. But what are you going to do with all the leftovers the next day? He has a simple solution. Just make a turkey salad (his version, which includes roasted peanuts, daikon, and bean sprouts, has a slight Asian influence). It makes for a healthy lunch the day after an indulgent dinner that you can feed your family without feeling guilty. You could also add turkey to a salad like this, and put it on sandwiches — a classic post-Thanksgiving meal.
At its best, Thanksgiving is about sharing good food with the people you love. Don’t worry about drawing up the perfect menu. Just take the advice of these seasoned pros and your dinner will go off without a single hitch.
