Worried about a dry turkey? Fear not. This recipe guarantees a moist, succulent bird. You can brine a 14-pound turkey overnight in the refrigerator in a large lobster pot. Or, if you’re cooking a very large bird, you can brine it outside in a large, clean picnic cooler filled with the brine and a few bags of ice to keep the temperature cold.
It took many tries to get exactly the recipe we were looking for: candied sweet potatoes that were crisp, not mushy. Senior food editor Amy Traverso tried numerous ways of cutting and roasting the spuds, but their high water content left them perpetually soft until she came across a recipe on Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen blog. By thinly slicing her potatoes and standing them upright, Perelman was able to crisp their edges. It was a lovely dish, but an intentionally savory one. So we utilized the technique, but added a brown sugar-ginger glaze. Voilà! Just the crispy, caramelized top we wanted.
You’ll love the combination of fresh and savory flavors in this green bean casserole with crispy shallots. In addition to making this a gluten-free, the rice flour makes the shallots more crisp than all-purpose flour. Bob’s Red Mill and Goya, common brands in most grocery stores, both make rice flour.
You’ve probably had potato bread in some form or another—perhaps even potato donuts. Potato starch helps baked goods retain moisture and gives them a pleasingly chewy texture. Paired with sausage, onion, sage, and apple, this dressing is savory, moist, fluffy, and crisp on top.
We love the tang that a bit of buttermilk lends to these buttermilk mashed potatoes (provided they’re also made with delicious butter). If you like creamier potatoes, add more of the liquid; if you like them firmer, add less.
Like just about everyone (including Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and most of the Kennedy clan) whoever put these sweet and buttery rolls to their lips, we love Parker House rolls — the hotel’s signature recipe. They go great with honey butter.
We first ran the recipe for this pie more than 10 years ago, and it has remained a staff and reader favorite ever since. With its sweet walnut crust and light, fluffy filling, it’s a fresh take on a holiday favorite and worthy of a repeat appearance.
