I start every class I teach introducing my guests to the 5 things that will make cooking easier and more enjoyable.

First is "mise en place", a French term which means: to put in place, or everything in place. This is your prep work. Reading all of your recipes, preheating the oven, getting out all of the cooking or baking pots and pans and preparing them accordingly, getting out all of your ingredients and measuring utensils, washing and cutting ingredients, all of this is mise en place. The next are a sharp knife  +  clean hands  +  clean space  +  clean as you go. Follow these guidelines so you can enjoy the process of cooking for yourself and loved ones.

I am sharing my Thanksgiving notes with you and hope you find it helpful. I am including my recipe for Sweet Potato Pie, for those that don't like Pumpkin Pie. I know you're out there. And while I LOVE pumpkin pie, I tried to get into the mind of those that don't. I came to the conclusion that it might be a texture (don't like custard) thing and also a spice blend thing. So I've avoided making my recipe a simple swap of sweet potatoes for pumpkin with the end result being the same - a spiced custard. Since I love ginger and it's so healthy for you, I chose to use this flavor to make an impact. And to be honest, I love this Sweet Potato Pie as a nice alternative for whenever sweet potatoes are in season.

In addition to sharing my turkey roasting tips and method, I'm also sharing two gravy recipes and my family's treasured Mashed Potato Stuffing recipe, with my farm to table touches. Honestly, you could make the Mashed Potato Stuffing your whole Thanksgiving menu with Cranberry Sauce and some buttered corn. That would truly be enough for any vegetarian to indulge and require belt loosening afterward. But for the carnivores, I'm sharing the rest of the show. Enjoy!!!  

Turkey Roasting Methods

  1. Whole turkey – breast down = works well for smaller turkeys

  2. Separate white from dark meat = works well for all sizes, especially large turkeys or multiple turkeys, fastest method

  3. Wet roasting = adds extra flavor and moisture to bird as well more pan drippings for gravy

  4. Mirepoix – carrots, onions and celery, the base layer of the roasting pan that adds flavor

To brine or not to brine – get a local, pasture raised bird and there will be no need to brine. Just season well 24 hours before roasting.

My favorite seasonings:

Herbs de Provence, Lemons, White wine, Mirepoix - Carrots, onion, celery, Salt and freshly ground pepper

Turkey roasting times for fresh, local bird:

325 degrees for about 12 minutes per pound, finished internal temp of 165-170 degrees. Take turkey out of the oven at 160-165 degrees. The temperature will continue to rise 5 to 10 degrees upon resting. Allow the turkey to rest, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes (and up to 1 hour) before carving.

My method:

  1. Wednesday morning - season bird breast up in roasting pan, cover tightly, save giblets in a bag for gravy, wash and cut celery and carrots for mirepoix and gravy, hold in a bag

  2. Thursday – take bird out of refrigerator 1 ½ hours before putting in the oven, preheat oven

  3. Start the gravy

  4. Just before putting the bird in the oven, add mirepoix to roasting pan and turn bird breast side down. Place in the oven to roast.  

Unger Family Mashed Potato Stuffing

Yields a 13x9 casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For the mashed potatoes:

  • 5 medium gold potatoes, unpeeled, diced

  • 1 teaspoon salt + pepper to taste

  • Optional: 1 teaspoon Montreal Chicken seasoning

  • 2-3 tablespoons of butter, to taste

  • About ½ cup whole milk

Boil the potatoes until they are fully cooked, more than just fork tender. Drain and allow the steam to evaporate for a minute. Add the butter, milk and seasonings and whip with a hand mixer until smooth. The potatoes should be relatively thin.

 For the stuffing:

  • 4-6 slices of crusty whole wheat artisan bread, cubed

  • 4-6 slices of crust French or Italian bread, cubed

  • 2 shallots, diced

  • 4 ribs of celery, small dice

  • ½ bunch parsley, chopped

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • Optional - 1 ½ teaspoons Herbs de Provence

  • About ¼ to ½ cup broth

Add all of the ingredients up to the broth to a large bowl. Stir to distribute evenly. Add just enough broth to moisten the bread, not soak it. Toss ingredients again. Add mashed potatoes and stir to incorporate, continue to mix/stir until everything is evenly distributed. Pour into the lightly greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

Turkey Gravy  -  2 ways

The long way: most flavorful but takes some time and a little work

  • Turkey giblets

  • 1 large carrot, ends trimmed

  • 2 ribs of celery, end trimmed

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 tablespoon dried herbs of your choice

  • Optional: 1 cup of white wine

  • Optional: an additional large carrot and stalk of celery diced and added towards the end of cooking

  • Optional: thicken with Beurre Manie – equal parts soft butter and flour

Place all ingredients (except the wine if using) in a large soup pot and fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium and boil lightly for about 30 minutes to reduce by about one third to half the volume. Remove the giblets, bay leaf and celery. Taste and check for desired thickness. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the gravy with the carrot in it. Add the wine, diced carrot and celery at this point. Put the gravy back on the stove and bring back up to the boil, reduce to simmer for 10 minutes while the carrot and celery cook. Taste again and adjust seasonings, add your turkey pan drippings as well. If you want the gravy to be thicker, mix one tablespoon of soft butter with one tablespoon of flour to make a paste (Beurre Manie) and whisk into simmering gravy. Continue simmering for about 3 minutes to thicken. 

 The short way: easy and quick but not nearly as flavorful

  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

  • 2 tablespoons soft salted butter + 2 tablespoons flour mixed into a paste (Beurre Manie)

  • Dried herbs of your choice

  • Parsley, chopped, amount to taste

  • Pan drippings from the turkey

  • Optional: ½ cup white wine

Add broth, herbs, wine and turkey drippings to a sauce pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to medium and add Beurre Manie with a whisk, whisking constantly until dissolved. Continue to simmer until thickened. If you want the gravy to be thicker, simmer to reduce to desired thickness.

Kelly's sweet potato pie opinions - for those that don’t like pumpkin pie

  1. Red skinned sweet potato for this pie is best.

  2. Steaming vs roasting – steaming every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Steaming keeps the potatoes moist, roasting makes them too dry for use in pie. Sweet potatoes are already sweet so it’s not necessary to coax more sweetness from them.

  3. Pie crust vs cookie crust – no contest, cookie crust. There’s so much versatility and the added layer of flavor. It helps distinguish it from pumpkin pie as well.

Kelly’s Sweet Potato Pie

Yields one 9” pie

For the crust: preheat oven to 350 degrees

  • 1 ½ cups (7 ½ oz) cookie crumbs – Biscoff, graham crackers or gingersnaps

  • About 6 tablespoons butter, melted

  • 3 tablespoons of sugar – needed for graham crackers, might not be needed for other types

  • Optional – ½ teaspoon cinnamon + ½ teaspoon ground ginger for graham crackers

Mix all ingredients together until well combined and press into the pie dish, bringing mixture up the sides of the dish. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Can be made up to two days ahead and stored covered at room temperature.

 For the filling: raise oven temp to 375 degrees

  • 2 large red skinned sweet potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds or about 2 cups), steamed and skins removed

  • 1 to 1 ¼ cups brown sugar not packed

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ginger, grated

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • Optional spices instead of gingers – ¼ teaspoon clove or ½ teaspoon allspice

  • Optional – zest of half a lemon

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 stick of butter at room temperature diced

  • Juice of ½ a lemon

In a stand mixer, add sweet potatoes and mix until smooth. Clean/remove the fibers from the paddle attachment and continue. Add the butter and mix until well blended. Add the sugar slowly, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add the spices and lemon juice and mix until blended. Pour the mixture into the pie crust, smooth the top and bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes until center is set.

Note: steaming sweet potatoes takes about 1 hour. Be sure to check your water level at least once during cooking so you don’t burn your pan.


All recipes by Chef Kelly Unger. For more information about her farm to table cooking classes, visit: www.theroosterandthecarrot.com