If you think you’re overwhelmed at the prospect of a dozen relatives at your house for a holiday dinner, imagine what it was like for Tim Meyers and his team of College of DuPage students, who prepared a Thanksgiving feast for more than 100.
The school’s culinary department teamed up with the Villa Park VFW to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for cadets from the Great Lakes Naval Base who were unable to make it home for the holiday.
“The Villa Park VFW has been serving the meal for more than ten years and came to us last year to ask if we would be willing to donate our time, talents and space,” said Tim Meyers , a culinary and pastry arts professor.
“It was really an easy decision. Preparing the meal gives our students another opportunity for large volume production and would showcase our program off campus. But it also was a wonderful opportunity for our students to give back to the community.”
For most of us, hosting the relatives will not require cooking ten turkeys, mashing 50 pounds of potatoes and doing other large-scale meal preparation. However, many of the same skills used by the team of 12 culinary students will help the home cook serve a large group for a holiday meal, Meyers said.
Planning ahead is the key to success, he said. A popular main dish is turkey, since it feeds a crowd for a reasonable price. A common mistake is forgetting to allow enough time for it to defrost if it has been frozen.
“You really need to allow five days or longer for it to thaw in the refrigerator,” he said.
Brining a turkey can add moisture but it is possible to overdo it, Meyers said. His go-to turkey seasoning method is to create an herb mix of sage, rosemary, chives, garlic, parley and thyme, which is added to a pound of butter. He then lifts the skin from the bird and rubs the mixture underneath. One pound of the butter mixture is sufficient for a 20-pound turkey.
When it comes to stuffing the turkey, Meyers has mixed feelings.
“The chef in me loves to stuff the turkey because it adds so much flavor to the stuffing. But the sanitation instructor in me makes me cautious,” he said. If you doubt your abilities to remove the stuffing promptly, it is safer to prepare the stuffing separately.
The main thing to remember when preparing a meal for a large group is not everything can be done at the last minute, Meyers said. Choose dishes that can be prepared a day ahead, refrigerated and then reheated. For example, mashed potatoes can be reheated very successfully.
Another issue is getting everything into a single oven. “If you take the turkey out when it is finished, everything else can go into the oven to be heated through. The turkey will stay warm for 30 to 45 minutes and will improve as the juices go back into the meat,” says Meyers. Large roasts can also be covered and allowed to sit before carving.
Many side dishes can be finished on the stove if oven space is an issue. If you still haven’t come up with sides for holiday meals, Meyers offers two recipes to try.
The first is a twice-baked sweet potato that can be prepared a day in advance and popped in the oven the next day for about 20 minutes before serving. The sweet potato is scooped back into the skins, making it an attractive and easy-to-serve dish. The second recipe is for pan-roasted brussel sprouts, a tasty vegetable side dish that can be prepared on the stove top.
Judy Buchenot is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
Tim’s Culinary Cue
Invest in a quality thermometer and use it to check if the meat and other dishes are at safe temperatures. It is better to hold dinner for a few minutes than to serve something that is under cooked.
Twice Baked Sweet Potato
8-10 medium sweet potatoes (Envy, Jewell, Garnet or other orange fleshed variety)
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/3 cup bourbon
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
Topping
11/2 cups brown sugar, packed
11/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
11/2 teaspoons cinnamon
10 ounces finely chopped pecans
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce the flesh of each potato several times with a fork. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast on the center oven rack for 45-60 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the flesh. In a small saucepan, combine the bourbon, butter, salt and spices. Heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot. When the sweet potatoes are done roasting and are cool enough to handle, slit the potato, scoop out the flesh, leaving a thin shell and place the flesh in a large bowl. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, beat the flesh until it is mostly smooth, leaving some bits for texture. Add the warm bourbon butter mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. The mixture should be the consistency of thick mashed potatoes. Spoon the flesh back into the skins. To make the topping, place the sugar, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter is fully incorporated and the streusel is pea-sized pieces. Do not over mix as the butter will melt. Remove streusel and place in medium bowl. Add the pecans and toss to combine. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over each potato. Bake potatoes until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into small dice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced
2/3 cup chicken stock
3 large shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add the olive oil and bacon or pancetta. Cook until crispy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Reserve drippings. In the same pan, add the shallots and sliced sprouts and garlic, and cook until sprouts are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook, scraping up the brown bits, until the stock has evaporated and the pan is nearly dry. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar (or more to taste), the bacon and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
