Things I Learned Hosting My First Friendsgiving
On logistics
• As I realized last week, what makes big meals (we had 16 people) scary isn’t the cooking as much as the sheer volume of it all and the logistics required to manage them. I mean, who here has a kitchen that was built to feed 16? Trust me, it’s not you, it’s your kitchen making things hard.
• Thus the more time you spend plotting things out, the less stressful it will be. Because I’m Team Casserole, i.e. I prefer dishes that are deep and bubbly, can be made well in advance and reheat well, they’re all fairly forgiving of too long or short warming times. Too long, they get a little extra crunchy and toasted on top (yum), too little, they still pack a lot of warmth inside, even if they’re not bubbling hot. I warmed all of the dishes before the turkey went in and then slid in one or two while it roasted. When the turkey came out and we needed 30 minutes to rest and carve it, all the sides went back in to warm.
• Everything that can be done in advance, should be, and as early as possible. You’re doing it for you. When we have a lot of people over, this often leads to me quite over-exhausting myself the night before getting everything prepped that can be, but then I wake up rested and we’re 80% there. It’s not actually a stressful day, which means we’re far more likely to enjoy the party. If I can’t finish prep the night before, I’ll do it in the morning. It’s essential to me that there’s a little window of vegging/non-cooking time between prepping stuff and cooking the stuff that must be done at the last-minute. It’s also a great time to change into something fresh.
• All the pies were made earlier in the week and either went into the fridge (pecan) or freezer (pumpkin) until needed.
• Finally, I think we should all buy each other trivets for Christmukkah. I have… 4? What kind of Thanksgiving has only 4 hot dishes coming out of the kitchen? None we want to be at, thank you very much.
About That Turkey
• Turkeys are amusingly hard to find a week before Thanksgiving.
• Brining is a delicious nightmare. I know a lot of people don’t do it. I know you don’t need to. I know there are less-insane options, like dry-brining. But I am really not hugely into turkey to begin with because I always find it dry and often flavorless. And I don’t want a little overcooking to ruin it. Thus: brining. Oh, but what a comedy it was and by comedy, I mean cry-laugh emoji. It involved a 19.5-pound bird, 1 of these bags and 2.5 gallons of brine, which turned out to create a forceful enough pressure on the bag to pop it open. Mopping was involved. Then I got it into the fridge (40 pounds, no easy feat and yet somehow still easier than that time I had to carry my 20-pounder out of the grocery store sideways with an arced back… life math be crazy) and discovered that the bottom had a tiny hole in it and I don’t know if normal people whose mothers were not microbiologists list salmonella among their greatest fears, but raw turkey juice everywhere in the fridge dripping into the produce drawers required a hazmat-suit level of cleaning until I could stop worrying.
• Where’s the recipe, Deb? We were so happy with the turkey but I cannot in good conscience share with you a recipe for something so epic that I’ve only made once. I mean, what if I missed something major and ruin all of your holidays? So, I promise, it’s coming and it’s going to be worth the wait.
The Menu
• Ina Garten’s Baked Fontina (I hope to share a more budgeted version of this soon)
• Corn Muffins (brought by a friend)
• A Giant Kale Caesar made with a riff on this dressing. I’d intended to make this salad, however.
• A Roast Turkey Mash-Up That Was About 50% Thomas Keller, 30% Gourmet and 20% Alton Brown
• Cathy Barrow’s Challah Stuffing With Mushroom and Celery with homemade challah, because crazy things happen in my freezer
• Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions (doubled)
• Roasted Delicata Squash with Brown Butter, Lime and Pepitas, except I ran out of time so they were just roasted
• Root Vegetable Gratin
• Baked Beans (brought by a friend)
• Ree Drummond’s Twice-Baked Potato Casserole (brought by a friend)
• Cranberry Sauce (brought by a friend, the one who taught me to make my own back in the day)
• Cheesecake-Marbled Pumpkin Slab Pie
• A Very Large Pecan Pie
• By the way, we made everything above except the gravy and obviously the turkey vegetarian simply by using vegetable stock; it wasn’t a challenge and nobody missed out on a thing. For the twice-baked potatoes, an area was left bacon-free on top.
Postscripts
• Do not underestimate the power of one really great, crunchy salad, the perfect contrast to all the butter-drenched and gluten-full wonders across the table. It goes quickly. I’m sharing today the salad I’d intended to make; I think it’s the perfect last-minute addition to any menu and so easy to bring with you from home. I guarantee the host will appreciate it.
• Finally, ask me anything! I feel like I know 100x as much about Thanksgiving as I did 72 hours ago and most of what I did is very fresh in my head. I’m happy to answer any questions you have in the comments below. I’ll probably attack them mostly this evening, so don’t fret if you don’t get an immediate response.
Previously
One year ago: Roasted Leek and White Bean Galettes and Date Breakfast Squares
Two years ago: Classic Pecan Pie with Praline Sauce and Crispy Sweet Potato Roast
Three years ago: Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions, Apple-Herb Stuffing for All Seasons, Cauliflower with Brown Butter Crumbs and Parsley Leaf Potatoes
Four years ago: Cauliflower-Feta Fritters with Pomegranate
Five years ago: Gingersnaps and Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Biscuits
Six years ago: Creamed Onions with Bacon and Chives and Sweet Corn Spoonbread
Seven years ago: Sweet Potato and Buttermilk Pie, Creamed Spinach and Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake
Eight years ago: Silky Smooth Pumpkin Pie, Home Fries, Apple Pancakes and Fennel Proscuitto and Pomegranate Salad
Nine years ago: Pumpkin Waffles and Creamy White Polenta with Mushrooms and Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie
Ten! years ago: Three Cranberry Sauces and No-Knead Bread
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Roasted Carrots with Avocado and Yogurt and Almond Rhubarb Picnic Bars
1.5 Years Ago: Fake Shack Burger and Swirled Berry Yogurt Popsicles
2.5 Years Ago: Soft Pretzel Buns and Knots
3.5 Years Ago: Greek Salad with Lemon and Oregano
4.5 Years Ago: Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice
Brussels Sprouts, Apple and Pomegranate Salad
- 1/2 large red onion, diced small
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground sumac
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to season salad
- 2 cups shredded brussels sprouts
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (from about 1/2 a large one)
- 1/2 a large unpeeled apple, cored and diced (I used Granny Smith, the book recommends Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)
- Juice of half a lemon, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons honey, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup toasted, cooled walnuts, lightly crushed or coarsely chopped
- Ground chipotle chile pepper, urfa biber peppers, hot smoked paprika or another chile flake, to taste
Combine all salad ingredients, including red onions and their pickling liquid, in a medium bowl and season to taste with salt and red pepper. Taste and adjust ingredients as desired — I’ve seen versions of the recipe with more honey, olive oil and lemon; I didn’t need them but you might find you do.
This salad can be prepped ahead, but I’d keep the dressing off of it until at most an hour before serving so it doesn’t discolor the sprouts.
As soon as I saw this photo I said, that’s the Zahav recipe, but with Brussels Sprouts! For another take on Brussels sprouts with sumac and and onions, Ottologenghi has a “salsa” that involves maple syrup that I find is just perfect for the fall.
About the brining: Have you ever tried using a kosher turkey? I swear to you, I never had a dry turkey until my mother-in-law served us her traditional Butterball.
I should! I hear they’re excellent. I did the brine as much for preference as for “science,” i.e. so I could know how to do it and provide advice (or how-not-to tips) for others.
Ditto on the kosher turkey, although I don’t think you’ll find a 40lb. kosher turkey.
When I have more than 12-14 I’ve made two (the second one on the grill). I’ve used the rotisserie on the grill which was a bit challenging. The better option was “Beer Butt Turkey” which is amazing. I have a porcelain turkey sitter for stability that’s also great for “Beer Butt Capon”.
Enjoy! (Love the juice box holiday decoration!)
Turkey on the grill is forever snd ever the best and how I grew up! My husband has taken to it and now usually spatchcocks our Turkey for the grill! The best!
1) The trivet thing. You know how there are truths out there that you don’t realize are true until someone says them? That.
2) I had plotting a broccoli slaw for a quick/easy contribution to extended-family Thanksgiving this weekend, but now I’m both wondering if I should make this instead AND wondering if — since the slaw recipe I have in my head has some grains in it — it might also be a tabbouleh. You know, if I want it to be. Basically this post spun my brain a good quarter-turn, so thanks. Sort of ;)
So I have made your sweet potato biscuits for a few years now and I love them – make the dough ahead, cut out the biscuits, freeze, bake while turkey rests. Last year I had them in the oven at the same time as the stuffing and they didn’t rise very much. This year I cut them thicker, but do you think it’s important they’re alone in the oven? Any other thoughts? Thanks!
You might find you get a little more height if they’re defrosted just a little bit on the counter before they go in the oven. I do know that I always say they can be baked frozen and they can but for maximum height, it can help if they’re a little less icy going in.
Thank you! Happy thanksgiving!
Thanks! I had them out for close to 40 minutes (they were still frozen-ish) and they did great – much better than last year. :)
To clear up fridge space (and avoid raw turkey juice catastrophes), we always brine our turkey in a cooler outside. We make the brine ahead of time and refridgerate for a couple days so it’s nice and chilled. Put the giant plastic bag in the cooler, add the turkey and chilled brine. Depending on the temperature outside, you can add a bag of ice around the plastic bag to be safe. Obviously this works better for certain parts of the country than others, but it’s been a lifesaver for fridge space leading up to the big meal!
Fantastic idea. There is never enough room in the fridge during preparation for a big meal. Thank you.
Argh, this was the first year it was just barely too warm to brine outside…and a bag of ice (which I had) would have easily solved that. Duh. Good idea for the future!
I was going to say the same thing… I’m a vegetarian but the one time I hosted Thanksgiving I brined a turkey in a cooler using ice water and frozen cans of juice concentrate. I think it was the Alton Brown recipe. The meat eaters said the turkey was excellent.
I love Brussel sprouts and have attempted to make a shaved brussel sprout salad before. But I felt they were too “raw”. Do you ever partially cook them to soften them a little? Would you advise this?
I recently made a kale and shaved Brussels sprouts salad with a lemon, olive oil, shallot, and garlic dressing. I found the sprouts tender after sitting in the dressing for a couple of hours. The salad was even delicious the next day! The lemon softens the sprouts.
another idea is a little labor intensive but if you really want to love on those brussels you can massage them (once shredded) with a little olive oil as you would with kale. doing so really, really softens it and also, you’re half way to dressing them!
I don’t but don’t see any reason you cannot. You can also let the dressing sit on them longer, or just a bit of olive oil and salt and they’ll soften more before it’s mixed. I agree that raw sprouts can be a bit grassy — usually when underdressed.
My secret to a moist turkey (and the world’s easiest turkey pan cleanup) is to buy a name brand turkey and use one of those oven bags. I know they’re not “gourmet” but it’s lots easier than brining!
I buy the grocery brand frozen turkey (the one that is super cheap with a $25/35 dollar other purchase), thaw it in a sinkful of cold water (changing often) the day before/morning of because my fridge is too cold to thaw anything in less than a week and I’m not that organized, and use the oven bags (and have for several years). Comes out beautiful, delicious and moist every time. Just did Friendsgiving for 20 two weekends ago and everyone raved. Strain the bag drippings and you can make gravy as well.
Me too! I love those cooking bags for turkeys but nobody talks about them.
PS – I use potholders for emergency trivets!
I only have four of those too! Sigh. (That was my husband’s suggestion. Mine is just to shop for new cute trivets.)
Not cute, but Ikea also has packs of plain cork trivets that I remember being super cheap.
When push comes to shove we’ve also used the leftover samples from when we were getting cork flooring put in our kitchen!
Ikea has a stack of cork round trivets that are very inexpensive.
Get your older child to weave you some potholders on one of those loop looms, then use those! (Until you get some as house gifts.)
Until the young man is weaving potholders for you, you can put a folded kitchen/hand towel under the pot/baking pans.
The apple and pomegranate salad is on the menu. When you say “red pepper”, what does that refer to?
Red pepper flakes — spicy ones
I’m a Brit who moved to NYC 4 months ago, so this is my first ever Thanksgiving! I want to make your Pecan pie, and my stress levels went down hugely knowing that you made yours in advance and it kept in the fridge. Did you bake it all the way through and then just let it come to room temp or heat/ finish cooking in the oven before serving? (As you can probably tell, I’m not overly familiar with Pecan pie either. It’ll be a day of firsts!)
Save yourself some work on Thanksgiving by baking your pie the day before. You could even make the pie dough two days ahead (that would be Tuesday) and then roll out the crust, fill and fully bake on Wednesday. Cool the pie then refrigerate overnight. Pull the pie out of the fridge about an hour before you serve dessert. If someone wants their slice of pie warmed up, you can microwave individual servings before adding the scoop of ice cream! Good Luck and welcome to the US.
I have some really beautiful local green cabbages, but no Brussels sprouts. I’m thinking of subbing cabbage, since we live in Alaska and beautiful produce in the winter is rare. Any recipe-tweaking thoughts?
I think cabbage would be fine. Can you get savoy?
Baked it fully through, keeps in fridge for days. I brought it to room temperature that afternoon or it’s not quite gooey when cut, which would be sad.
We used to brine a 20+ pound turkey every year and my dad had it down to a science. He ended up buying one of those large drink cooler dispensers–the kind that are on the sidelines of a sports field– because they are insulated and they have wheels. He’d shove the turkey and the brine in it and then literally put it outside on our deck {yay New England!}. It worked beautifully and you just dumped out the brine and washed the thing the next day. No worry about salmonella!
Anyway, your pumpkin pie and pecan pie are powering our Thanksgiving dessert this year, so thanks! And great job pulling this off in NYC. Not an easy feat for sure!
I use cooling racks as trivets! Not as cute but works well.
I really don’t know why I didn’t think of this. I do it all the time when taking pictures for this site! :)
Did Jacob make the blue thing on your buffet table?
Yes! And the funniest thing is it’s this adorable unused craft kit he found that Alex got me as a joke almost 10 years ago… really, it was always destined to be his.
This is great, Deb, thank you! I’m planning my menu for Thursday and intend to make the creamed onions with bacon and chives you have on the site. Now that I’m reading your advice on this post, I’m wondering if I could make them on Wednesday night and just reheat on Thurs? What do you think? Also, I’m making the pumpkin tart from your cookbook — first time not making a traditional pumpkin pie — and I am really excited about it. :-)
I definitely think so. My advice would be that the creamed onions have a tendency to seem thin especially after the onions have been in the sauce for a while so I’d recommend reducing even further than would seem necessary so as the onions release juices as they rest, it won’t be overly sloshy. And of course, bacon only goes on at the end. And thank you!
That salad sounds fantastic, like a good candidate for a party. I like having a few sides that aren’t drenched in sauce or butter, but they need to be special–not just plain steamed vegetables. This one sounds great!
When did you make the crispy onions for the green beans? If you made them early, how did you keep them crispy?
I just left them out in a bowl at room temperature all day. I figured they’re cooked and crispy, they’re safe. Haven’t quite mastered making them far ahead yet, may try this week when I’m nominated to make it again. Will report back.
Trader Joe’s has bagged chopped Brussels sprouts and cartons of fresh pomegranate seeds–this salad would whip up in a pinch with these items!!!
And pre-brined turkey!
This looks great. Thank you! Your recipes are the very best. I have a question about the green bean casserole. I’m planning to make it this week and wondering if and how you prepped it ahead of time. I know the recipe give a few options for making it ahead; I’m wondering which one you chose and how it worked out.
Ha I was just about to post this exact question, so glad I scrolled through the comments first! I’m also very curious to know if/how you did the green bean ahead plan out of the many options you provided in your original post! Thanks and glad your Friendsgiving was a success!
Totally prepped it ahead of time. The only part that’s tricky is the onions. I fried them the morning of, but kind of hated it and think I might have gotten away with it the night before had I left them at room temperature uncovered but even that made me nervous because maybe they’re safer in the fridge, where, of course, they’ll lose some crisp. (Very helpful advice, I know.)
But the base is definitely easy to get a lead on. You can make the sauce and cook the greens and keep them separately or you can mix them together in the final baking dish. Let them get warm first before you bake them with the onions for a little bit, or the onions will get too brown. (When you make it straight through, the beans and sauce are already hot so you don’t need this extra oven time.)
Oh and one of my friends hates Recognizable Mushrooms so I used a little less and pulsed them in the food processor until rubbly and then the base was more of a smooth sauce, mushrooms not obvious.
“Recognizable Mushrooms” slayed me. We all have this friend (cough-husband-cough) and they are a force to be reckoned with, for sure. Evil grin emoji at under cover pulsing in the ol’ Cuisinart because I do the same.
My husband: It’s not nice to hide the mushrooms.
Me: I’m not hiding them! We were at this holiday party in 2000 and eating passed potstickers and when I told her there were mushrooms in them she said they were fine because she couldn’t tell.
My husband: … … [leaves room]
Oh, that’s genius! I usually just eat around the recognizable mushrooms, but my real problem is the slimy texture, so if they were pureed I could probably handle it…hm…next year…
I made the whole thing the day before; leaving the crispy fried onions on the counter on a paper towel lined tray and covered with more paper towels. They did sog up a tiny bit but when I put them on the casserole, they crisped back up again in the oven. It was delicious!
Great article and it sounds like the dinner was a huge success!
I have the hardest time finding ground sumac. Any suggestions on a substitution?
I’d go with paprika. I think of sumac as a sour paprika so I’d often say a pinch more lemon, but there’s plenty here without it.
I couldn’t find sumac and subbed black mustard seeds along with the suggested ground chipotle. This salad was a hit!
Now that you’ve mastered Thanksgiving in its classic season, what would you make if you were say living in New Zealand and we’re hosting a Thanksgiving this weekend when it happens to be the season of asparagus and strawberries?
Also, and not related to the previous question, as a card carrying member of the “artichokes for dinner, no that’s it just artichokes” club, a club which I believe you’re a member of, artichoke and Brie stuffing is definitely something you should make if you like artichoke dip by way of savory bread pudding. Emeril has a recipe I use as a guideline, but modify because I only need so much cream (um… none)when Brie is a starring ingredient.
Hi — I took Thanksgiving home to Australia and it was …. interesting. First my mum insisted on no turkey leftovers so the bird was smaller than a chicken, I swear, and certainly smaller than anything the turkey website was willing to let us know about cooking time. But there were no really big ones in the store.
Maybe it is time to start a Thankspringing movement for those south of the equator? You could have a Thankzucchining in summer and a thankstewing in winter ….
My family’s new traditional Christmas meal is grilled salmon, potato salad, and green salad… if that (finally) helps.
Ooooooooooh, gimme. I hadn’t even considered such a thing could exist.
Can you put the recipe here please? Is that okay Deb? I want some now!
Sorry, just seeing this um…a year later. I was reading Deb’s Thanksgiving tips on epicurious, which led to a SK archive dive (mostly because of her tip to brine in the veggie drawer, which made me so happy because it’s a tip I left later on in this thread, and I needed an ego boost today)
Anywho, here’s the recipe in time for the holidays this year. Frozen artichokes from Trader Joe’s are really at home here. I think the recipe was on the Food Network ages ago, but I can’t find it there. This looks to be the same. http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/savory-spinach-and-artichoke-stuffing-emeril-lagasse-195628
Hi Deb! You’ve been my Thanksgiving guiding star for years now, so big thanks and warm holiday wishes to you! This question is appetizery, re: your tarte soleil: what do you think about a doubled-or-so version of your sour cream galette (butternut squash etc.) dough as a homemade replacement for the puff pastry? With love from Pittsburgh.
Wow, never even thought of that. It’s not going to be as bendy or light, but I still think it will be delicious and definitely welcome. And thank you.
Advice on shredding brussels–your photo shows a chef’s knife peeking out, not a mandoline? Is that what you used? Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
I used the knife to trim, mandoline to slice. Easy enough to slice thin, though, mandoline might have been more work than required.
How did the pumpkin pie hold up after being frozen? Also, did you let it defrost in or out of the fridge? Thanks!
I meant to do so in fridge but forgot so did so at room temperature for a bunch of hours. Pie texture was perfect; felt the crust underneath the center was a bit more soft, maybe because it defrosted faster and thus had more condensation rolling around. Nobody cared.
Did you use a knife to shred the Brussels sprouts? Could I use a food processor? Would I be sacrificing anything by doing that? It sounds much easier…also, I can’t wait to hear your turkey recipe! Sounds (and looks) like it was a success!
I used a mandoline; knife would be fine because 2 cups isn’t that much. Food processor’s slicing blade should work too.
It sounds and looks like you had a fantastic time. I’m glad you were well organized and had the energy and mood to enjoy your own feast…very important not to be tired and cranky when the guests arrive…not that that’s ever happened to me…😇😈😨
For the pecan pie, you linked to your recipe that makes one 9 inch pie. How did you increase the recipe to make it in the jelly roll pan? Did you just double everything? I’m doing all slab pies this Thanksgiving as we have a huge crowd (22!!) and I like the crust to filling ratio better than in a pie plate:) Thanks!
So sorry to be a tease about this because I’ve been tweaking it for my next cookbook and am still working out kinks. It’s like 1.66x and it’s the equivalent of three single doughs.
I highly recommend using a cooler for brining. Put the turkey in its bag, fill part-way with the brining solution, pack ice around it and then top off with the brining solution. It works especially well if you have some outdoor (or garage space) to leave the cooler overnight but in a pinch the cooler could go anywhere (bathtub?). Any leaks will stay in the cooler to be dealt with after the main event.
Great tip!
Adding this to my list! About how many lbs brussels sprouts did you use to get 2 cups shredded?
So mad I forgot to weigh it — I’m obviously off my game :) I cannot imagine it was over a pound. It actually required much fewer than I’d expected.
Thanks Deb! We had some giant 3 ft stalks of brussels sprouts at our market, so I made this last night using about 1/3 of my stalk. Huge hit in my house! Already getting requests to make more.
For the brining, we buy a new, cheap bucket from Home Depot to prevent spills. It’s usually cold enough the night before Thanksgiving to keep it in the garage, but if not, we’ll add ice packs.
To cook, we use a rotisserie which makes the best turkey ever. Ours is part of an outside grill set-up, which I realize is not an option for many in NYC!
Hosting our first family Thankgiving on Thursday, and my stressors are, in this order: the fever/runny nose/cough I’m battling (yes, I am actually doing prep in hospital gloves and a mask); how to entertain my two kids on Thursday morning while anything last-minute gets done (hello, iPad games!); and the expense. We realized that we had plenty of nice things to host a group of five or six, but it was something of an investment to round out our china, table linens, stemware, etc., for the 16 we’re expecting. No matter – between you, Ina, and Serious Eats, I feel like I’m ready to be a Thankgiving boss…assuming there’s enough DayQuil at my local pharmacy ;)
(*ThankSgiving)
I hope you feel better! I agree about those surprise investments, however, the cool thing is that then you’re set for almost-ever, not just this party. When we bought new silverware last year, it was such a good clearance price I went ahead and bought 24 sets — wasn’t sad about that this weekend at all. But most importantly: feel better. And kids love a good iPad day once in a while. :)
Just wondering if you have advice on dinner rolls I could make tonight and then bake/serve Thursday. I’ve seen different types of advice for Parker House rolls, since you’re the make-ahead queen I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried it. Or any type of dinner roll. Thanks!
I would make them (these are my go-to, with or without the pretzel wash), do the first rise, form the rolls and keep them in the fridge until you’re going to bake them. I haven’t stretched these that long, but I suspect they’ll be forgiving because things move very slowly in the fridge.
Many years as a Boy Scout means I own one of those 5 gallon drink dispensing jugs which now is my turkey brining vessel. Ice on bottom. Turkey brine bag in middle and ice on top.
Deb – spatchcock your turkey. You’ll never have a dry turkey again, and a bird that size cooks in about 2hrs.
I am sooo Team Spatchcock for chicken at home but feel like Thanksgiving needs that big ta-da of a bird. It’s silly, I know.
Deb – this is years late in the comment game, but spatchcocking the turkey has been my go-to for the last three years. The turkey comes out EXCELLENT. You get over the big ta-da because the turkey is so amazing and cooks FAST.
Anyway, thanks for being so awesome to thousands of us and I can only hope one day I run into you in New York (which is hard, considering I live in LA.)
“shredded brussels sprouts”
Please say more! Probably there is a niftier way to do this, because it took me over 45 minutes the last time I tried to accomplish this with a pile of brussels sprouts. Is there a technique for swiftly taking a hard little cruciferous ball and delivering a pile of teeny leaves?
Trader Joe’s sells shredded Brussels sprouts! They make life very easy indeed, although I prefer them sauteed in rendered bacon fat and tossed with bacon and parmesan.
Yum!
Thinly sliced are just fine, or, if you have a food processor, you can use the slicing blade. Or! As someone else mentioned, TJs often sells bags of shredded brussels.
FreshDirect also has shredded bagged brussels sprouts, for those of us in NYC
I use a mandoline to shred sprouts. It’s a great exercise in mindfulness.
I also did Friendsgiving for a 16-top. WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Did your root vegetable casserole (awesome, I’d just reduced the stock a hair), pumpkin cheesecake tart from the book (OMGOMGOMG – we all ignored that one due to a chocolate cream pie, but when I took it by my stable yesterday, it disappeared in a flash), and the butternut squash galette (always a hit). Thank you for the great recipes!
The one thing I keep learning as my friends group solidly hit the mid-30s-50s is that I just don’t have to have everything as bread-centric. I made two nice pans of stuffing that were ignored for a fantastic southwest corn pudding and the root vegetable gratin and mashed potatoes. I’m going to keep cutting back the bread and upping the variety of vegetables. I worry about them not being a hit so I do this bread-backup thing that ends up being totally unnecessary. Less bread, more veggies! Less bread, more veggies!
For your pecan pie recipe – I attempted to make golden syrup as I was unable to find any at the grocery store, and ended up making something more akin to treacle/molasses. It is pretty dark and smoky, and thicker than corn syrup. I’m trying to figure out if I can still use it for pecan pie…not sure how 3/4 cup of it would taste…or should I combine it with some traditional corn syrup (half treacle, half corn syrup)? Thanks for your input!
You can also use honey or maple syrup if you have either and can then not use as much of the dark stuff if it makes you nervous. Or just use corn syrup — I mean, it’s the standard and certainly works here too, just adds less flavor. Hope that helps.
For the brining, we use a not-so-large turkey (our Thanksgiving involves 6 people, one of whom is vegan), put the turkey and brine in one of those giant bags, and then put the whole thing in a giant plastic bowl. The whole contraption goes into the refrigerator and we don’t have to worry about salmonella.
Love your website and thanks for all the great recipes!
Oh! You freeze your pumpkin pie – that’s genius. GENIUS! My question is – how long do you have to let them thaw? Is there anything else you need to do other than take them out of the freezer? How do you prevent freezer burn – just plastic wrap?
Thanks so much!
A
I didn’t have it in long enough to worry about freezer burn but I think what I’d do if longer is let it freeze solid, oil or spray a piece of plastic wrap, use that to cover it followed by foil to keep it tight at the edges. To defrost, I’d remove both so it doesn’t get messed up if you pull the wraps off when it is soft. I’d defrost it for a day in the fridge, however, I forgot to so I just had it out half the day, did the same job.
Well done! This must have been a lot of work, but it also seems a lot of fun. We have no -giving in our country, but just looking at these dishes and the people and that smile that came with the turkey wants me to invite all my friends over for a potluck and give thanks to anything and anybody that deserve them.
The rule I learned from my mom for party- (also, life-) planning is always leave yourself enough time to get dressed and have a glass of wine before guests arrive. Whatever doesn’t get made, doesn’t get made, and as long as you don’t mention it, no one else will ever know.
Love the last part and wholly agree. I actually put the turkey in late because I got the delicata squash in late and it was just silly, it’s great to have an orange vegetable and all but nobody knows if it’s missing from the table.
Hi, I am planning on making your endives with oranges and almonds as a Thanksgiving appetizer, so I sent my husband to the grocery to pick up the endive for me. He came back with two heads of large, green, leafy things. He said one was what he thought endive is, and the other was what the produce guy thought endive is. Neither are what I thought it is (what you picture on that post). So is what you have pictured just likely the heart of one of those heads of large lettuce-like things, ie I should just start peeling outer layers off, or do I need to go to a different store to find what you have pictured?
Not sure what kind of lettuce he picked up but absolutely, I think the tender inner leaves are the way to go or you might have some luck trimming the leafiest parts of large leaves down too.
So I’m not sure what your husband picked up at the store, but I have been in your shoes before when I had my mother in law do the holiday shopping and learned that there are two types of endive. She brought home curly endive instead of the Belgian endive Deb uses in he recipe you referenced.
Curly endive is leafy but the leaves are formed with thin curls. Belgian endive has the boat shaped leaves you see in Deb’s pictures. And there is also escarole, which often gets confused with the leafy endive because they’re both leafy, green chicory. Escarole and curly endive aren’t usually sturdy enough to make those little boats.
I think you are right. I must have had curly endive and escarole. I removed the outer leaves and never found those tightly packed boat-shaped leaves in the middle, so I made the whole thing into a chopped salad. It was still very good! He went to a store that is similar to Whole Foods and who normally has a very good selection, so I’m surprised that they did not have the Belgium endive. I will try it again if I can find the right stuff!
Not a question, but I want to make sure you see this tip before you attempt further turkeys! I brined a 26 pound turkey for the last 4 years. My trick for getting it into the fridge safely is admittedly a bit unorthodox. I took a waste paper bin that was large enough for the turkey, washed it thoroughly with soapy hot water inside and out, and just brined my bird in there. A home depot bucket might also work, or a massively huge stockpot of course – although most people probably don’t have a stockpot sized for a turkey. The plus of the waste paper bin was it was the taller rectangular shape that allowed it to easily fit in my side-by-side fridge.
My method is to empty the vegetable drawer, wash it, then brine the turkey in there. It’s also where I defrost turkey to contain any leaks
ahhh great idea! if only my vegetable drawer were every big enough, haha.
Wow, that’s really brilliant!
Yes, Deanna. That’s what my mother always used to do. My fridge isn’t big enough for this though!
I completely agree– the logistics is the challenging part. I’ve got a game plan mapped out starting Wednesday morning including which dishes each item will be cooked or served in. I love casseroles too, this is the only time of year I eat like 5 kinds at one meal, and I love that you can make them completely in advance and just bake it the day of (it also works for Ina’s sausage stuffed mushrooms, which are my favorite Thanksgiving dish of all time).
Happy Thanksgiving!
so the salad with pomgrantes and brussels is all raw???
I would just like to say, as someone who’s been vegetarian for close to 20 years now, that a bunch of sides we can eat is awesome and very, very much appreciated at holiday time! As an extra special tip, though, if you have vegetarians coming and you have a few extra minutes (and a free burner), I would really, really recommend making a quick vegetarian gravy for them. Afterall, all those sides are meant to be eaten with gravy! I’ve been doing this for the past 8 years, and it’s honestly been life-changing … or at least holiday-meal-changing.
NB: Veg gravy can be made waaaay in advance and kept in the fridge or freezer; you can reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.
Just make a butter/flour roux with a couple of big chunks of onion and a couple of bay leaves in the pot. When you’re ready for some liquid, add a splash or two of wine, then hot water (or veg stock if you have some you want to use up), a lot of poultry seasoning, a squidge of tomato paste or ketchup – whatever you’ve got, and whisk. When everything’s smooth, add some salt and pepper. And then, here’s the key, because it’s going to be tasting quite acidic from the wine, tomato paste, and onion: add a tiny pinch of baking soda. It will cut the acid just enough and mellow the whole thing out to taste and look just like gravy. To get a sense of how much baking soda you need, put a spoonful of the hot gravy into a little bowl, flick a few specks of baking soda into it, stir, and taste. It will probably be enough, and that will give you a sense of how to scale up the whole pot.
As I said, as a vegetarian, anything is appreciated, but for me, gravy truly makes a traditional holiday meal come together!
I totally agree! Vegetarian gravy is so awesome. While making it does make sense if you are not vegetarian and don’t want to go that route many stores carry the vegetarian gravy packets. I bought 2!
If you buy a kosher turkey, it’s already brined (soaked and salted, or kashered).
Hi Deb! I will be traveling out of town for Thanksgiving and have been asked to bring a side dish. Any suggestions on a side that can withstand a 5 hour car ride in an ice packed cooler?
Is salad not an option? I feel like it’s best to have you do something that can be served at room temperature — a galette, maybe, or mini-galettes — because anything but a salad chilled would just have to be warmed up which might be a pain if it’s already overloaded where you’re going.
How about a grain salad (e.g.: wheatberry or farro)? They can be room temp, and get better with a bit of sitting.
So happy to see a recipe that doesn’t have to do with Thanksgiving! Being a vegetarian, I struggle to find good things to make around this time of year, so thank you very much for this in-depth recipe. The pomegranate sounds like a good addition – just hope I can find it around this time of year (a fresh one, atleast!).
Regarding the dressing, isn’t it also true that adding the dressing too early will make the salad soggy? Or is the discoloration a bigger problem? I’ve tried mine before with Italian or even Balsamic, but the sogginess is an issue when I prep the salad before guests arrive.
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Sogginess wasn’t for us an issue with this but when we ate it a few hours later it was definitely more beige along the edge of the brussels…
Deb, you’re looking super cute and happy up there. Giving the kids a run for their money, even :)
Yes! The turkey we bought for Christmas two years ago managed to leak on me leaving the grocery store. We wrapped it in a trash bag before putting in it the fridge in the garage. A day or so later went out to get something and the darn thing had managed to leak through that bag as well and drip all over! Spent lots of time having to disinfect the fridge and worrying about everything in it. Didn’t name a specific microbe, but the fear was there. :)
We’re going a bit unconventional this thanksgiving. This will be at our table. Can’t wait to try it!
Kid 1 and Kid 2 both “look” sweet and are even dressed to coordinate with their surroundings! A perfect holiday card, of a perfect little family. That salad might be my favorite thing about Thanksgiving this year…that and the ever- favorite mashed rutabagas. Add some cranberry and I could forget the turkey altogether.
No, you’re not crazy on the scrubbing…. I once had a raw chicken leak, and I cleaned up well. Or so I thought, until several weeks later I was searching for the cause of an awful smell in my kitchen. I had apparently not cleaned *unde*r the drawers. And somehow it also leaked out of the refrigerator, too, and underneath…. it was pretty awful.
Definitely going with Team Casserole for my friendsgiving this weekend! But was just wondering if it is best to pre-bake them and then reheat, or assemble, store unbaked in the fridge overnight, and then bake while everyone is eating appetizers and drinking?
Have you tried to turn a pecan pie into a slab pie?
Inquiring minds…
I need some other way to incorporate pomegranate seeds into a vegetable dish. Not this one.Brussel Sprouts will be too radical with this group, unfamiliar with American foods. But I need some healthy green vegetable, and I have green beans. I have time to pick up another vegetable, if you have a good suggestion. THANKS a BUNCH!
This salad can be made with kale, too; that’s the version in the book.
I give you a lot of credit — I’ve never been to or hosted a Friendsgiving and frankly, I can’t imagine doing one the weekend before Thanksgiving — I’ve spent the whole weekend cooking and will be every day up to and including the big day. I hope someone else will be cooking for you on Thanksgiving! LOL! Looks like you put on a great spread — and Wow! that turkey!
My friends and I do a sidesgiving where everyone just brings a side! No one misses the turkey and its always so much fun! Sooooo much less stressful than when we used to do a proper friendsgiving. At work we do soupsgiving which is also great lol.
Sous vide that bird! Cut him up like a chicken…legs take almost 24 hours..breast about 12-ish….it will be the absolute best turkey you have ever had. The nice folks over at ChefSteps has details. The bonus is….the oven is free for everything else and you have the spine and spare parts for stock to put in your dressing/stuffing! Definitely that sprout salad…yum, yum!!
Aunt, when I was discussing what I might bring for Thanksgiving: We don’t need salad you and I are the only ones who eat it anyway!
Idk I might have to blatantly ignore that directive because this sounds amazing! Maybe I’ll do it in addition to whatever other side I bring lol! All I really need is a pomegranate anyway since I just bought a bag of shaved brussels sprouts (gosh I’m so lazy but they’re so convenient) and am never without apples!
I raise turkeys, some of which reach baby pterodactyl size – my suggestion is to use a cooler filled with ice and your brining liquid to store your bird; you may need to add more brine and ice as the ice melts, but you can keep everything super cold (colder than your fridge= super safe), you free up fridge space and since you have a little terrace, it isn’t underfoot.
Kenji Lopez-Alt had an interesting article about wet vs. dry brine. He settled on dry brine based on the affect on proteins. Try the Judy Bird on Food52 or Ina Garten’s turkey and gravy from Make it ahead. The gravy is a game changer.
This was my second choice. I was torn between the two, decided to go the most hassle-d route first, assuming I’d try the other next year. But now I’m torn as friends liked the wet brine so much!
I’m celebrating Thanksgiving in France this year so in lieu of cooking a full-sized bird (a bit hard to find), I’m planning on cooking just the breast. I’m also making your Kale and Caramelized Onion Stuffing and I was wondering if you had advice on cooking it underneath a turkey breast. I love the flavor the turkey drippings give to stuffing cooked inside the bird, so I thought cooking the stuffing underneath the meat might be similar, but I’m also afraid of overcooking the stuffing. Do you think this will work or should I just cook the stuffing separately?
What if the breast was on a rack and the stuffing underneath?
Thanks! I’ll try it with an oven rack positioned above another rack holding the stuffing dish. My kitchen here doesn’t have much equipment so this Thanksgiving is an adventure in making do!
Serious Eats did a post on *exactly* this a couple years ago (cooking just a breast, with stuffing); I haven’t done it but they figured out the timing/method so everything would be cooked properly/not burn.
Oh my goodness, thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for!
I once brinded a turkey, it seemed so salty to me, maybe it was the recipe or whatever, never again. I am a “bag lady” now, and it turns out great.
This year, we decided to move Thanksgiving to Saturday, which gives me Thursday to cook, prep, clean. Thanks for moving your Thanksgiving up, to show all the yummy dishes! I am moving to less carbs, more fresh vegetables, as so many people are diabetic now.
I am surprised saltiness doesn’t come up more often. I used 1 cup Diamond brand kosher salt which clocks in at 135 grams a cup. Morton brand = 230 grams per cup and David’s = 288 grams, which is just bonkers. I mean, to use a different brand would mean that your turkey is twice as salty as it should be. I’m always surprised more recipes don’t call types of salt out more. (I think I’m the only one insane about this.)
Congratulations on what looks like an absolute dinner triumph, and thank you for this recipe! I share your craving for crunchy salad and I always like to bring something green to my family’s Thanksgiving… I bought two bags of my favorite salad mix from Trader Joe’s (“Cruciferous Crunch” – kale, brussels, sprouts, cabbage, all the hard work already done) with no definite plan… and now I have it! (and now lazy readers like me have an alternative to shredding Brussels sprouts, ha ha)
My husband abhors raw onion. Do you think this salad would suffer without it?
No. Do keep in mind when they’re pickled they get a little sweet, if that helps. You can soak them longer and add a little honey from the dressing to the pickling liquid. Or skip them. :)
I found the raw onion very strong. The second time I made this salad I followed the recipe for quick pickled onions on thekitchn.com and liked it a lot better.
This looks fantastic! And I love that you had so many great options for the vegetarians. Oh my gosh I’m getting excited for Thanksgiving. Thank you: )
Folded dishtowels work as trivets! (I come from a large family.) :)
This salad sounds amazing and I would love to make it for my own Derby-giving (my roller derby team thanksgiving) What would you suggest as a substitute for Sumac? I am ALMOST positive I won’t be able to find it in my small college town. Also, do you think that the nuts need to be mixed in from the start or could I put them on the side for an optional topping to the salad? I have some friends with nut allergies :( Thanks!
You can leave the nuts on the side. I would use paprika instead of sumac, perhaps less because sumac is slightly more coarse.
omg yes, the trivets! i have one trivet. one!
granted it’s just the two of us and we don’t usually entertain, but still. i made a mini thanksgiving for us last night and ran into the same problem. i ended up using a dish towel, the oven mitts, a cutting board…haha. total first world problem but yeah, we should all get on the more-trivets train :)
I have successfully brined a turkey in a cooler outside; however, keep in mind the critters that might be in the vicinity! In the past, I have put a big cinderblock on top of the cooler to discourage raccoons, etc. etc.
I can’t find ground sumac. Thoughts on substitutions?
Sumac is amazing and in the future, look for/find it! :) It imparts a lemony sourness without the acid. I think Deb recommended paprika to someone else, and I’d add that I’d increase the lemon juice a little, too.
Of all the posts I could have made an appearance in….I finally arrive on brussels sprouts. Did my parents put you up to this? LOL
Can I mix all of the ingredients for the dressing a few days early? Should I just pickle the onion, then add honey, olive oil and lemon after that? Or does it hurt to leave the lemon in the liquid that long at all?
Yes you can mix a few days early. Don’t think the lemon will be an issue.
This looks good! One thing you might want to try is a goose or duck instead of a turkey, especially if you’re not feeding 20. It’s easy to buy extra duck legs/breasts as well. If nobody in your house really cares about bird presentation, spatchcocking the bird (whatever variety) will cut the cooking time to about 1/3. I once got so tired of the turkey, after cooking it 2 hours longer than the recommended time after thawing for a week in the fridge, with the inside meat still red, that I stuck it in my dutch oven with the gravy and cranberries and cooked it stove top for another 30 minutes. Remove the carcass, fish out the meat and present! At my house, some of the food will be cooked well, and the rest will be just cooked.
This isn’t Thanksgiving-related (!) but since you mentioned Ina Garten’s fontina I had a question – I don’t own any of her books and I’m toying with buying her latest one. But are there any of her earlier ones that you’d say are indispensable, that I should rather start with? There are so many!
On brining your turkey: I love a brined bird & it makes cooking such a snap. I don’t think I could dry out a brined turkey if I tried… I have used the simple brine of 1/2 c. table salt per gallon of water for ~12 hrs/overnight, followed by air drying the turkey for 4-8 hrs in the fridge (if possible). Same instructions published by Cooks Illustrated in their Nov/Dec 2004 edition.
I’m so sorry to hear your brining bag broke – I’ve never used one. Instead, I use the metal stock pot that comes with a deep-fat fryer for turkeys. It doesn’t leak and fits every 20-24 lbs bird I’ve purchased. Since it’s winter and the temps stay below 40 degrees F, it allows me to put the bird in our unheated garage with a brick on the stock pot lid to make sure the bird remains undisturbed while soaking. Perhaps you could do something similar if you have a little balcony?
Would you tell us where your earrings are from, Deb? They’re great.
Thanks — here’s the link. Nobody ever asks me fashion advice, so I’m going to now note the date and time. :)
I’m impressed that you wear dangling earrings with a baby. I’ve been on an earring moratorium for about a year….
Deb, the salad looks great! I was wondering what your thoughts are on using Za’atar instead of sumac?
Thank you.
I wouldn’t. Za’atar has herbs and more in it and wouldn’t do much for pickling liquid. I would, however, maybe sprinkle it on top. I like it best for finishing.
Deb, I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful recipe that I will be keeping in my repertoire! The salad was such a hit with all the various families that had come together for Thanksgiving; it was the one side dish that _everyone_ took home as leftovers, and the only reason there was any left was because I had made so much! I took your advice on not adding za’atar and I do not feel like the taste was lackingood. I had some the day after it had been dressed and it was crunchy enough; two days later, it wasn’t as crunchy but by no means was it soggy.
And I just made it again today!
*typo: I do not feel the taste was lacking. I had some…
Did you double this for your crowd? Doesn’t seem like a lot – or is it?
It’s not a lot and I’d planned to double it. However, I didn’t get to it at all!
Hi Deb
I saw this post as I was looking for that grapefruit yogurt cake to lighten up the dessert table (HA). I just wantedto say that one of my few truly smart housewifey tips (I am 65) is to have kept the old burners from my previous stove. They nmake great trivets. These were 4 separate square ones but the double burner kind would work do, although heavy.
I can give you no other advice, I love your recipes and the personality that shines through. Happy Thanksgiving or whatever to you and your family
It’s not a question for you but rather a comment: I am thankful for you! Even though we have never met, I feel like you are my cooking buddy. I know many of us feel the same way. Wishing you and the lucky folks gathered around your table a very happy holiday!
Deb, thank you for being such a trusted cooking resource. I’m making my first Thanksgiving dinner for my husband and his parents (my in laws of a little over a year) and I’m doing the entire thing from Smitten Kitchen. I’m adding this salad last minute, because I spent the past few days worrying about things being too heavy and then you read my mind and delivered the solution!
Now if only you could quell my fears that a pumpkin pie baked the day before and kept in the fridge will turn mushy. I’m making the classic pumpkin pie with praline sauce, but will make the sauce shortly before serving.
It will absolutely not turn mushy in a day. Nobody should ever feel obligated to make pumpkin pie the day of — I make it at least two days early, usually. It keeps great. If you’re super-worried, just par-bake the crust.
More fashion advice please! I wear way too much black, too. But it seriously goes with everything and always looks great on. Where is your cute black top from? It looks almost like a tunic? Also, your Anthro earrings are great! Thanks, Deb!
Thanks. I have a black clothes problem too, even worse in the winter because I just want to wear JCrew pixie pants all the time. The only other colors I really like are dark gray and off/winter white, which are not, in fact, colors and sometimes olive green. This is the blouse; I’m getting a lot of use out of it but it’s definitely not long or tunic-y.
This salad is really tasty! I didn’t do the pickled onion method, because I already had pickled onions, so I threw the sumac in the dressing instead (which I really just eyeballed because I made way more than two cups of sprouts. I added pomegranates, oranges segments and apple. Left out the nuts because at that point I was too lazy! I love this salad!
As a trial run before Thanksgiving, I made this last night with dinner! IT IS SO GOOD! It will be a seasonally appropriate FRESH component to our Thanksgiving dinner. Cannot wait to share it with my family!
I made two little tweaks (due to personal preference), though I don’t think it needed (them. I added a little dijon mustard to add a bit of spicy tang and also added some chopped parsley (mainly for color).
Thank you Deb for this recipe…I had been on the hunt all week for a shaved brussels sprout salad with pomegranate, apples and nuts. (This is not a joke!)
It seems that my mom must have stumbled upon the trivet conundrum at some point in her life as well, because I have at least 8 trivets, all from her. Although we technically stopped exchanging gifts years ago, I will inevitably find one tucked away into a small Christmas care package…and always accompanied by a package of cocktail napkins. Mother truly knows best :)
`mopping was involved` – best line in a recipe ever! Meanwhile, this salad looks so fresh and zingy and full of flavour. Best.
This may sounds crazy but, my husband is phobic of onions. Any ideas on a pickled something else in place of onions? I try my best to either dial down the onion when it’s a cooked dish, or skip it when it’s a raw dish, sometimes upping garlic instead. I’ve tried to convince him for 13 years, to no avail!
I’d just skip them. There’s a lot else going on.
FYI, Your cranberry pie, X3, makes a great slab pie in a 1/4 baking sheet!! You are one of my thanksgivings!
Just made it. So fresh & bright tasting. Perfect use of these ingredients for a fresh, healthy alternative to heavier Thanksgiving dishes.
Should this be served cold or room temperature? Sorry, I’m a novice. Making it now to take to Thanksgiving in Singapore! ;)
Just made it for our light lunch, pre-Thanksgiving dinner. Didn’t use pomegranate since we’ll have that in our T-giving salad; added 1/2 avocado. Adults all enjoyed this. Fresh flavors, light and crunchy.
Deb…I have been following you for a few years and have made some of your recipes periodically (we LOVE Pasta for a Crowd…family favorite!). This year, with things feeling so completely out of control over the last few weeks, the one thing I knew I could control was the food I fed my family for Thanksgiving.
I cannot thank you enough for sharing recipes…we used the salad you posted here (though we used the cruciferous (?) blend rather than just brussel sprouts from TJs) and my sister and I thought it was delicious. Your pecan pie was a hit with my hubby who has always…well,…put up with pecan pie because it’s my family’s thing, but this year thought it lived up to the hype. But the star, for me, was the green bean casserole, which has been woefully absent from my table since I had children. I just could not bring myself to use all the canned soups and feel OK feeding my family…but I took a deep breath and pulled yours together this morning, and O…M…G!!
So, in short…Deb, thanks for sharing some of your Thanksgiving good will. It certainly put a sparkle on what had the potential to be a tense day around here. Good food conquers all!
In the chaos of getting all the food on the table I forgot BOTH the nuts and onions that I had prepared earlier. But it was still delicious and people liked it. Next year I’ll have all the parts in there and people will be wowed!
I made this for an extended family Thanksgiving and received rave reviews. I didn’t have walnuts, so I used freshly roasted almonds. I also didn’t use any sumac. Still delicious! It’s so nice to have something fresh on the plate next to all the heavy Thanksgiving favorites.
Made a double batch of this yesterday. Got thumbs up all around and will def make again. A little time intensive due to shredding the Brussels sprouts (used a mandolin) and the pomegranate (first time doing that) but well worth it! Thanks!
Use the google! You’ll find videos on how to quickly seed a pomegranate and save yourself time on that (nothing to do about the brussels sprouts time….)!
The method I found:
1-Score the peel around the hemisphere of the pomegranate (instead of slicing through) and pry it apart.
2-Take one half, and sort of stretch it out–pulling all around to loosen things up.
3-Hold it cut-side down over a bowl, and hit it (hard) with the back of a wooden spoon or other utensil. Keep your hand loose–they start flowing out.
4-Do the same with the other half.
5-Pick out any bits of white that fell in the bowl.
The guy on the video did this in less than 5 minutes. It took me 10, but was my first time.
This is how the Persians do it. I grew up with my mom beating the dickens out of a pomegranate to make me a bowl of seeds
Dear Deb, I have to tell you that your butternut squash with caramelized onion galette was the first special-occasion main I made for my dear vegetarian daughter-in-law three years ago and I have yet to make anything else for her for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or her birthday – she wants only that! Everyone else loves it as well.
Regarding turkey – my staple has become the dry-brined then spatchcocked turkey. Not only is it a miracle of speed, (this years 17-1/2 lb bird – 30 minutes at 450 (convection) then another 30 minutes at 325 brought the thighs to 165 degrees) the thighs and the breast finish at the same time and the whole bird stays moister, I’m guessing because of less overall time in the oven. There’s no need to turn a hot-grease-and semi-raw juices-dripping bird part way through roasting either. Getting the messy part of cutting out the backbone and flattening the bird done the day before leaves very little to be done on the day. Carving becomes a lot easier, too. I can’t say I will never go back, because I’m always ready to try an interesting new method, but at the moment I can’t imagine a reason to do so.
This salad was incredible; light, bright, full of flavors and textures. Was the perfect foil to the traditional Thanksgiving fare. Thank you!!
I prepared this salad and served it at my sister’s thanksgiving party. She had spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours on traditional dishes that did not live up to expectations. She took one spoonful of the salad and ignored all of the other food. She was at once obsessed with and deeply annoyed by how spectacularly this salad upstaged the meal. I was hated and appreciated for my efforts. Strange feeling.
Note: Forgot the sumac so I mixed the onions with lemon zest, salt, and red white vinegar.
Deb, this salad was the perfect crunchy, bright counterpoint to all the gravy-laden, buttery excess of Thanksgiving dinner. There were, to my great disappointment, no pomegranates to be found in our rural supermarket. I tried to replicate some of the tart sweetness and color with raisins plumped in tart cranberry juice, which was not bad – but not pomegranate. Can’t wait to try it as written. Thanks!
Hi Deb,
I can’t imagine putting a brining turkey in the fridge, especially one so large! Instead, I brine mine in a five gallon beverage cooler. It takes up less floor space than a regular cooler and is easier to lift. You just have to account for ice in your brine. I have also put it out on the porch (still with the ice). This year, I made the brine more concentrated (accounting for some melting of the ice) and it was better than ever!
This was SUCH a hit on TG. Love that I have another reason to have brussel sprouts. I’ll be making many more times. We were all obsessed with how perfect it was.
I was fascinated by the recipe, but unhappy with the results.
Shaving the Brussels sprouts took time but was fun – I like that kind of fiddly knife work and ended up with a nice lacy pile of light/dark greenery.
Despite the super slivery shaven perfection of my pile, the sprouts tasted raw & rough, even after their thorough dousing in dressing
The salad was too tangy for me – 1/2 a large red onion yields a LOT, all that pickled sumac diced onion plus all the lemon in the dressing was overwhelming.
At the same time, the dressing was too sweet – 1 1/2- 2 T is a LOT of honey.
Too sweet/sour.
My beautifully toasted walnuts got lost in the mix.
The gorgeous fall colours of the ingredients very quickly became faded and sad looking once I dressed the salad – and I did so immediately before serving.
The salad bowl was barely touched at meal’s end – nobody was digging it.
Sorry for negative review – I just want to give a heads up to other readers/cooks. I was disappointed to waste such lovely parts, ingredients, on a whole recipe that missed the mark at our Thanksgiving Day spread.
A thought – after reading about all the SM cooks happy with this salad, I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out WHY the recipe wasn’t a hit with my family. I came up with this: I transported all my Thxgiving food to my mom’s house. A bit chaotic. So, while I did add the 1/4t kosher salt to the pickled onions, I forgot to add the “plus more to season the salad”. Maybe salting the salad to taste after dressing it would have brought the sour/sweet dressing into the correct taste balance for me. Again, just a thought.
It did need more salt on the salad, CR. Maybe that’s what happened?
Don’t you feel like you’ve run a marathon? I’m curious what you have planned with all those tasty leftovers??
We ate the leftovers for 2 days and then realized that my previous theory — that leftovers are always healthier than, say, takeout, even unheavy takeout — doesn’t apply to Thanksgiving leftovers, where everything is drenched in butter or gravy or cream or often all of the above. Then we said “no more Thanksgiving food ever” and then we ate it again on Thursday (actual Thanksgiving) and leftovers (the day after) and now I only want soup and salad forever and am currently making chicken broth and beef broth. Not that you asked all that. :)
Doubled the recipe and used half Brussels/half kale. Loved the crunch, though agree with previous reviewer that walnuts were somewhat lost other than as texture. Even using the low end of the honey range, the dressing was too sweet (and a touch oily) but would definitely make again using less honey and oil. Used smoked paprika and appreciated the smokiness. (Side note: Shredded sprouts in a food processor, which made it easy.)
I hate brussels sprouts but would consider this kind of recipe. Here’s another variation – with bacon – duh. http://gardenandgun.com/blog/lee-brothers-brussels-sprouts-benne
Deb, you were spot on about why people would love this.
I made it for our Friendsgiving potluck, and got so many compliments – everyone said it was so nice for something fresh-flavoured to contrast all the savoury salty, creamy dishes on the table.
Slicing the sprouts by hand was labour intensive but didn’t take as long as I thought. Made it almost exactly as above, substituting toasted sunflower seeds for walnuts.
Thanks for another good one.
This salad was the hit of our Thanksgiving – it was so delicious, I’m making it again to have with leftovers. Thank you for posting this just in time to make Thanksgiving even more wonderful.
So a tip I saw that may or may not work for a 19-lb turkey and/or your fridge setup was just to use the bottom produce drawer to hold the in-the-bag, brining turkey. We kept ours in a separate cooler on the porch, in the shade, iced down, and checked the temp constantly.
I made this wonderful salad for Shabbat dinner Fri., to serve with a roasted turkey breast. In spite of using 3 cups of Brussels, my husband and I ate about 3/4 of it – absolutely addictive. I just finished up the leftovers (not as good) with some cottage cheese for lunch. This is definitely one of your best, Deb. My only changes were using pecans (oops! no walnuts!) and adding Aleppo pepper at the end. I was also happy to use up the sad leftover Sukkot pomegranate. I’ll be making this salad as our fresh green veggie for the rest of the winter. Thanks.
Where do you find ground Sumac? My local Whole Foods does not carry it. What would be a good substitute?
This salad was a hit with my extended family for our pre-Tday dinner and our Tday dinner. It’s the right balance of savory, sweet, tart, crunchy. On the 2nd attempt, I dressed the salad earlier to give the brussel sprouts time to wilt. A new FAVE.
This salad looked like a perfect antidote to all the Thanksgiving carbs, but because I take blood thinners , I have to watch out for too many dark green leafy things. I had a Sang Lee red cabbage, and used that. There was not as much color contrast, but it tasted great ! Family says it’s a keeper. Red cabbage and apples have always been natural pals anyway! Thanks for giving me something
completely different !
You have done really well! So much lovely food, your guests were very lucky!
This was delicious! The adjustments I made were to use the whole pomegranate, the whole apple, shallots instead of red onions and Russian kale cut into ribbons instead of Brussels sprouts. We loved it!
This was the surprise star of our Thanksgiving table! I love that salads like this are infinitely adaptable: I swapped toasted sunflower seeds for the walnuts, added feta (sort of de rigeur in a Greek family), and omitted the apples (allergy). I’m not sure if others have found a good way to shred Brussels sprouts, but I had sizable ones, so I ran them over my mandoline; I admit this was perilous, and I definitely wouldn’t try it with the smaller sprouts I’ve seen. It held up quite well with the other leftovers, even after several days. I’m sure it will make an encore appearance at Christmas.
I had high hopes from this salad but didnt love it. And I’m saying this as a loyal SK fan who has cooked and baked most recipes on the site, and for the most part loved them.
A few problems:
– shredded brussel sprouts? I actually followed this instruction and shredded them in a cheese grater and the consistency was bad. I think that chopping the brussel sprouts would be better
– the dressing is really acidic, plus the green apple in it made it even more so.
– The size – it was really small, I would prefer proportions to serve a crowd.
– wondering how some kale or another green could help cut the acid and bulk up the salad. A kale and brussel sprout slaw is always delish.
Thoughts from others?
Cut them like the next comment in the thread says–cut in half, then slice fine from top to bottom, either discarding or further slicing the bottom/core bits.
As for the acidity, I actually added more lemon and vinegar and loved it! This might be a taste thing? I did have sweeter apples–a honey crisp and something else (can’t remember)–so maybe that was it. I would guess I made about 3 cups of brussels sprouts, so I used two medium apples, a whole pomegranate, and the half of a red onion, really finely diced, worked well. I don’t like raw onion, but found it worked. It made a large mixing bowl and 15 of us ate about 4/5 of it!
I happen to think it’s worth another try, maybe absorbing the ideas in the header to the recipe and trusting your tastes above all!
Made it!
Overall quite good and held up to day-after leftovers. Not as pretty, but not soggy.
To those struggling with the brussel sprouts “shredding,” I cut the sprouts in the same way that I cut red cabbage — Halved and then very small slices starting from the tip, working my way back to the core, discarding the very bottom.
Couple of suggestions…
– Next time I will sub half the olive oil for a more neutral oil. The fruitiness of the EVOO was just a little overpowering.
– I think removing the walnuts and subbing back in a grain would be nice.
– I did have to drain the salad over a colander after it sat because of the water released. That probably helped the leftover situation.
I was all set to bring roasted Brussels and toasted walnuts drizzled with pomegranate molasses (which was very welcome when I brought it to other friends on Rosh Hashanah) but then I saw this post just days before Thanksgiving and knew I would need to make this instead.
I used a slicing disc on the food processor to shred a stalk of fresh Brussels from Trader Joe’s; perfect for a raw salad. I followed the recipe as written, though the rest of the ingredients were scaled up about 50% as the stalk yielded a bit more that 2C and I was worried about rawness and gassiness.
Huge hit at the Thanksgiving meal. Everyone asked for the recipe. Thanks Deb!
I know this is DAYS after T-giving – but just wanted to share two tips I have when cooking for a large group (20-40 ppl).
We cook our turkey early in the AM (start at 500 for 30 mins – then down to 350 until we get to 165). It ALWAYS is cooked before we think it should be (2 1/2 hours – and for some reason we think this should be a 4+ hour process) … so when the insta-read says 165 @ 2 1/2 – we always poke 100 places until we find something slightly less – and then cook for another 30 minutes. Then we take it out of the oven – make sure it’s closely covered in foil on top – and then wrap the whole thing in heavy bath towels around the pan (roasting pan) & turkey and bundle it up well. It stays this way for about 2 hours – before we unwrap to carve. When we unwrap it’s still at 125-135 degrees (steamy) … and it is the most moist/tender turkey ever! So if you are pressed for space – and heating up last minute casseroles – this might help.
I made this twice last week (once for thanksgiving, and then later because i fell in love), and the second time I swapped walnuts for pepitas, which I loved even more. A new fall staple salad! Thank you!
SMOKED TURKEY!!! Sorry to get shouty but the smoked bird incites this level of raucous excitement. About 3 years ago, I sprung for a smoked, locally-raised turkey. (Gotta love that he’s the brother of the dude that does the locally-raised chickens we eat.) Deb, we will never go back. Ever. In the History of Ever. And, never again will our Thanksgiving bird be dry or necessitate the painful yoga-back-flip-twister-trickery that comes with a big bird brine. (No, children, not Big Bird brine.) The smoked bird is always juicy, always balls-out flavorful, and requires a simple heat up in the oven which still yields the drippings necessary to eek out a gravy. Friendsgiving 2017: find one, heat one, eat one. I implore you, Deb…and I rarely implore. Don’t even get me started on the smoked turkey stock that comes from these glorious carcasses.
This was excellent! EXCELLENT! And we ate the leftovers out of the Tupperware the next, as we hungrily prepped dinner. Technically my sister made it, but she said her only (minor) issue was the brussels sprouts shaving fiesta, because it’s good to avoid shaving off fingertips on the mandoline. We added a lot of honey and lemon to the final salad…it was fresh and zingy and a great contrast to the other heavy sides.
Made this for my girlfriend’s family’s Thanksgiving, having heard there were no bright green crunchy things on the menu (but a lot of other delicious food, no detracting from that!) Subbed almonds for walnuts, and forgot to get sumac so we subbed (kind of old) paprika. I think it would have been even better with proper spices, so I guess I’ll just have to make it again! But everyone really liked it!
I made this for a post-Thanksgiving birthday celebration (Thanksgiving was the other side of the family and this salad would have been too adventurous) and it was a complete hit. I used the food processor for the brussels sprouts and it was a cinch. I omitted the nuts (mainly out of laziness) and used aleppo pepper, but otherwise made it as is. While I’m generally all for subbing ingredients to fit what is on hand/avoid specialty ingredients–I thought the sumac really made this dish and am not sure the flavor combination would have been nearly as good without it.
For those wondering about quantities, I doubled the recipe for 6 adults because it was the only vegetable side I was serving–probably could have done 1.5x.
Major life hack! BRINE YOUR BIRDS DIRECTLY IN YOUR MEAT DRAWER! Just take the drawer out, clean it well, test that it holds water, and dump away. Huge space saver.
I made this for our Thanksgiving Day feast and it. was. incredible. Everyone agreed that it was likely the hit of the day, with some comparing it to veggie crack. My husband has asked me twice already to make it again (tonight, my dear!) Even though the apples discolored a little after a night in the fridge, everything remained crunchy and delicious for a snack the next day. And who knew sumac pickled onions could be a thing? Not I……until now! :)
This was AMAZING!!!!!! Truly wonderful!
I had been told not to bring anything to Thanksgiving. That felt wrong, somehow, but I hadn’t had any particular inspiration, so I let it go. Then I saw your recipe, and knew what I’d bring!
I used a knife for the cutting, as it seemed like more trouble to deal with a mandolin as I got to nubs of sprouts than to cut in half and slice thinly. I used white wine vinegar instead of red because it was what I had, and I skipped the walnuts due to time and concern re allergies. I’d add the walnuts next time for protein, but this wasn’t missing anything!
Just made this today, and will definitely make it for future holiday spreads. So delicious with great textures. I think subbing dried cranberries for the pomegranates would work really well for those who don’t feel like dealing with prepping the pomegranate. I served it with your buttermilk roasted chicken and sweet potato wedges. With Wegmans selling pre-shredded sprouts, this is easy to add to our repertoire, and I will!
I googled seeding a pomegranate. The score/pull in half and hit the back with a spoon method I watched on a video took me 10 minutes instead of the promised 5, but it was my first try. Super-simple!
I brine my turkey every year, and have managed to perfect the process after a few complete disasters. One year, we had 14 people over in our 1 bedroom apartment, and… I just about threw a pie at someone.
If you have an outdoor space, it makes it 1000 times easier. I make my brine first thing Weds morning, stick it in the fridge to cool, and then go pick up the turkey. I have a big plastic tub (think rubbermaid), and stick that sucker inside of a soft-sided cooler, which then goes on the balcony. The turkey and brine and ice water go inside of the tub, and then I zip the cooler shut – with the huge amount of ice + cooler + cold temps outside, the turkey stays a safe temperature, the brine is mess-free, AND it is out of my hair. Voila!
Now if we can just talk about the utter lack of counterspace, plus a three year old hanging on my leg all day asking “Is it pie time yet? Can i have pie now? CAN I SEE THE PIE?”, that’d be great.
This salad is AMAZEBALLS! My husband and I were craving something fresh after a week of eating Thanksgiving leftovers, so we had this salad for dinner. He topped his with grilled chicken, but I had it just the way it is. I could also see adding some firm cubes of tofu for a healthy, filling meal. It’s a bit of work, but SO worth it!
Well done, Deb! We hosted a 15-person Friendsgiving this year in Ireland, and like, you, did most of it in advance. We did a lot in the few days before (pumpkin pies, cranberry sauce, gravy, cornbread muffins, sourdough bread, half of the mashed potatoes to fold in, a brussels sprout & broccoli salad). I’m also a bit ashamed to admit that we opted for Stove Top stuffing as an homage to our American roots, so that didn’t take much effort. We also freed up some oven space by deep-frying the turkey outside in the backyard, which provided ample entertainment and also amazing turkey! Deep-fried turkey really is the way to go. Appetizers were shrimp & cocktail sauce (they don’t sell that here – I had to scramble at the last second and make my own from horseradish, lemon juice and ketchup, which ended up being pretty darn good), crostini & dip from a friend, and a cheese/meat/olives plate. I also did a huge batch of mulled wine in the morning, which left the stove free for the rest of the mashed potatoes and the stuffing, which took no time at all (5 minutes according to the box…). The only thing we really needed the oven for was a corn casserole. Dessert was pumpkin pie and friends brought other treats to share. Maybe one of the best Thanksgivings to date.
Sumac + vinegar + red onion is one of my favorite flavor combos, it reminds me of my grandma in the best possible way. Makes this one a must-try recipe in my book. Thank you Deb!
Thanks for this! It was a huge hit at my holiday cocktail party! I’d love more tips for cooking with sumac. This is a new spice for me but the pickled sumac onions were delicious!
In Iranian food we use sumac for kabob. We sprinkle it on the rice and on the grilled meat after plating. My family doesn’t use it in any other applications.
I made this tonight as a trial run for my family Channukah party. I definitely liked it but have some questions….the brussel sprouts still taste a bit raw and I’m wondering if it’s because of how I cut them. I started shredding on the mandolin but it was too scary so I switched to the shredding blade in the cuisinart. I thought that was okay but wonder why nobody else used that? Does super shredding bring out more of the raw taste or is it just presentation? Also, although I LOVE the pickled onions, we have a few people who will be coming who can’t eat onions (such a horror for them)! Do you have a suggestion for what else I can pickle so we don’t miss out on that delicious taste? And of course some nut allergies so I’ll switch to pepitas as another commenter suggested. But all good. Seems easy and a nice green addition to a heavy carb meal! Thanks!!!!
I used a cusinart food processor with my brussel sprouts and did not experience any raw taste because the pickled onions and apple and lemon and dressing almost drowned out that aspect. But I know some people can taste a slight bitterness in raw brussel sprouts. My guests could not stop eating this salad. Maybe pickled cucumber bits? Just an idea …
Pickled radish bits would work well too.
I used the Roast Turkey in Parts recipe from Serious Eats (which includes dry brining) and loved it. Even better–my wonderful supermarket cut up the turkey and carcass to my specifications, so it was so easy.
I had never thought about eating Brussels sprouts raw before. I’m totally going to try this. Thanks for the great (and healthy!) idea.
I made this to go with some cranberry chicken last night and it was great!
– I couldn’t find sumac so I used paprika and a little lemon zest as you recommended in an earlier comment.
– I massaged the sprouts with a little olive oil, lemon juice and kosher salt and then let them sit like that while I prepped the apple and pomegranate – a good option for those who might be worried about the raw grassiness of the sprouts.
– We’re not huge raw onion people, so I added a little sugar to the pickling liquid and then just added the onions/liquid to the salad until I though it was good (probably about 1/2 to 2/3 of them?).
– I added more pomegranates and wish I had used closer to 3/4 of the apple (I used a Pink Lady, fwiw).
Anyways, all this to say thanks for the great fall salad recipe! :)
This salad is absolutely spectacular… all the more so as in my haste I did not read the recipe properly and did not marinate the onion. I kept chopping merrily and then ooops. To recover I put all the liquid and spice ingredients into a dressing and poured it them over the cut up veggies/fruits. It worked beautifully and was crunchy lovely, even the next day. I will make it as per Deb’s instructions, but for all those too eager to read properly, do not fear :)
This salad is life-changing! So good. Thank you so much for this recipe, Deb.
I love the idea of using whatever you have on hand and/or love. I used hazelnuts instead of walnuts; added diced cucumbers, thinly sliced endive, and threw in some celery and celery leaves because I’m a freakish celery lover. I had to leave out the pomegranate seeds, as I let mine sit too long in the fridge after buying them specifically for this recipe. Alas. But no matter, the salad was so, so good. The flavors were a perfect complement to tuna and capers and blistered shishito peppers!
I’m definitely serving this at Thanksgiving next year, as I’m always looking for something green and crunchy to save me from my uncontrollable desire to eat nothing but turkey skin and gravy.
This looks wonderful- but I have never come across sumac as an ingredient. Where would someone look for this?
It’s used a lot in Middle Eastern cooking. You could use some paprika instead. It’s a bit like a sour paprika, dark red in color.
We thought this was okay but totally forgettable when we had it for dinner last night. But then I had leftovers for lunch and it was excellent! Next time, I’ll give it some time to marinate.
it’s realy umaging!!
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it’s realy umaging !!
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fantastic salad!!!!
have made it twice…..so far,
and am sharing it with lots of friends…
many many thanks
I made this on Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. Thank you!
Thoughts on replacing the sprouts for red cabbage? That’s what I have at home at the moment..
Follow up- made with red cabbage and it was perfect
What about using green cabbage?
I made this at Thanksgiving and it was perfect: festive and beautiful for the holiday table, yet simple and clean and so delicious. It was exactly what I have been waiting for to balance out my Thanksgiving menu. And I can’t wait to make it again!
This was crazy good… I chopped the sprouts and apples in advance and added the lemon to help stymie the browning -did a little kale-style massaging as well for the sprouts.
I made the salad exactly as,written this weekend for a dinner party. Everyone loved it. One of my new favorites (I also like the red cabbage and date salad and make that one quite often).
Everyone loved this salad at Thanksgiving and I have made it 3 times since . My only problem has been the pomegranate seeds – for some reason no whole pomegranates made it to Central NYS this year. All I could find locally were very small plastic cups of prepared arils for $6 each. After Thanksgiving I substituted dried cranberries for color and tartness but I think the freshness and lightness of the pomegranate is better.
This was AMAZING. So fresh and so delicious. I used the slicing blade in my food processor to do the sprouts and it worked perfectly. Doubled the recipe and it worked great for 10 people with some leftovers. YUM and thank you-will be making this many years to come!
Hi Deb! Can you tell us about your dining room table? We’re in the market so I’m curious about yours :)
Sorry for the delay. Looked for years before finding what we needed from Room & Board. We specifically wanted a table for 4 people that could be extended (most with extensions start as 6-seaters). It’s been about 3 years and we are very happy with it.
Awesome, great tip, thank you Deb!
A keeper. The layers of flavors was fabulous, and great to make in the summer.
Should Brussel sprouts be braised or raw for salad?
Raw.
This looks really wonderful. I do think spaghetti squash is a great option for enjoying traditional noodle dishes on a grain-free diet. Thanks for posting this on Food Flicks Friday.
My friend made this for our dinner last night and it was so good! I want to note that she added roasted, diced acorn squash and it was an amazing addition and made the salad much heartier! Next time I think I’ll add some white beans.
I made this for breaking the fast – perfect combination of New Year’s ingredients with the apple, pomegranate and honey!
thanks for info asalqq
I made this with kale. Pretty good!
I made a few changes when I made this in a test run for Thanksgiving, so I’m not ready to give a final opinion on this recipe. First, the two stores I went to didn’t have sumac and I didn’t feel like making a trip to the specialty spice store, so I skipped the sumac. But then it didn’t matter in the end because I totally forgot to put the sumac-free pickled onions I made on the salad. Perhaps those two things would have really made a big impact, but as I made it, the salad was good. I really liked the apple and sprout combo, and I liked that the dressing is quite tart. Essentially this feels like a salad I’d eat on a weeknight (maybe without the pomegranate) but I haven’t decided yet whether it’s big enough to stand up to the rest of the thanksgiving meal. Either way, I’ll certainly be making this again!
This sounds amazing. Just to confirm, the shredded Brussel sprouts are not cooked, correct? And can I simple double the recipe? (I have 20 coming this year). Thank you!
What are the missing links for the Giant Kale Cesar salad? Did you use chicken for the Thanksgiving version?
The stores by me seem to be out of sumac – there’s some issue with the supplier. What’s a good substitute?
I <3 this salad and have made this multiple times. We had a TON of pomegranates on our tree (in CA where everything grows) so this is perfect. Also because this is totally make ahead especially if one buys broccoli slaw precut! The paprika sub worked great! Only thing is I use less of the dressing. Thanks much for another winner Deb! And congrats on your cookbook :) you have such a knack for good recipes.
Should the Brussel sprouts be cooked?
so this might sound crazy and its probably not even safe, but this is how I brine a frozen turkey. snip open the top of the plastic bag, leaving the turkey in the bag. reach in and remove the innards if you can, if not just leave them until later. Fill the bag with clean water a few times and pour it off to rinse the bird. Put the bird, still in the bag, into a big stock pot, hole end up. Then pour salt and any herbs you want into the cavity of the bird, and fill the bag with water. Put in the refrigerator to brine. This method uses a lot less salt and herbs because not as much water is required to cover the bird. May sound a little weird, but it is a very tidy technique.
This salad is delicious. My impulse buy of the ‘big’ container of sumac turned out to be a wise decision. This dish is going to become a welcome regular on our table. Thanks!!
Shredded the sprouts with a knife (as if they were tiny cabbages). My favorite way to deal with pomegranates is the Good Eats method of opening and cleaning them while submerged in a big bowl of water.
Shredded sprouts were tossed with the apples, pomegranate arils, and lemon juice ahead of time to keep them from browning. Added all the other ingredients just before serving. My substitutions from the recipe were apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar and toasted pecans for walnuts.
This was the perfect refreshing side at our meal last night! I brought home lots of leftovers and it tastes just as delicious today! The pomegranate seeds are the best and now I want to add them to all of my salads! Great recipe, thank you!
This brussels sprout salad was quite good EXCEPT for the pomegranate arils!!! I almost chipped a tooth! They looked lovely in the finished dish but all who ate the salad had to remove the arils beforehand or suffer a visit to the dentist! My husband said that growing up his Mom said only to suck the juice from the seeds…NEVER TRY TO CHEW THEM. Didn’t anyone else have a problem?
I, too, was unfamiliar with eating the seeds. (We had a pomegranate tree in our yard when I was growing up; a pomegranate can keep a child of the right age occupied happily for a good long while, sucking on those seeds.) I was intrigued by the notion of eating the seeds, but after a test, I decided to put out a bowl of seeds separately. The color alone makes them table-worthy! Perhaps I’ll experiment with a pomegranate molasses vinaigrette someday. Anyway, thanks for another great recipe, Deb, and thanks to “all y’all” for your comments about it.
I LOVED the brussel sprout salad. It was fresh, crunchy and healthy. I ate it for days after I made it and mine didn’t turn pink from the dressing. I did “massage” the sprouts first…. sooooo good thank you! I love your recipes love your style- you’re brilliant! Warm regards- Stacey
I made a double batch of this wonderful salad for Thanksgiving …good thing cause it was the only thing I could eat! :) ..I took another double batch for a Christmas party last night. It’s wonderful and the leftovers last several days. I substituted 2t planed/chopped lemon zest for the 2t of sumac and it worked fine. I also cut the oil in half and it tasted fine. The chipotle chili powder really added the kick!
It’s a keeper.
This salad is the bomb! I’ve made it twice, the second time as a salad with our latke extravaganza. Everyone at the table raved about it! This is going in my fall/winter rotation, thanks Deb!
Just made this this evening, and we loved it! Even my husband, who typically turns his nose up at any salad with fruit really enjoyed it. I did not have any grounds sumac, so I subbed coriander. Worked very well!
So good. I subbed in dried cranberries for the pomegranate seeds, because they are out of season. A keeper for my side salads!
This is fantastic. Made it for thanksgiving and the family looooved it. Forgot the walnuts until we were packing up leftovers, apparently that wasn’t a dealbreaker. :)
Here we are, the Saturday before the big day, and I just made this salad for lunch as a test run for Thanksgiving. As I was preparing it, I was thinking that it would maybe benefit from little bits of some sort of salty cheese but now that I’m eating it, may I just apologize on my own behalf for thinking I could improve one of your recipes. I just gobbled a second plate and it’s literally perfect exactly as written. This will definitely be rounding out our Thursday table. Also, no pressure, but you did kind of imply you might give us a turkey experience back in 2016 😂
A very happy Thanksgiving to you and your beautiful family. Thank you as always for sharing your talent and expertise with us.
Can’t believe I made this and didn’t leave a review!!! I made this and my whole family LOVED it. I doubled it and used a 32oz bag of Brussels….no clue if that was too much or too little, but I’m all about convenience so I just dumped the whole bag in the food processor and went to town. I didn’t have straight sumac, so I used za’atar (mine is sumac based). I skipped the lemon (I tend to not like lemon in most salads) and skipped the chipotle. But wow – absolutely amazing and will definitely be making again.
Tip for lump-free gravy: toast the flour in advance, in a toaster oven or a skillet on the stove. Keep an eye on it – it can go from nutty brown to scorched in a flash. Let it cool, then store away. Makes it much easier/faster to incorporate in a roux, saves time & no lumps.
Do you cook these sprouts before shredding? Did you use a food processor? Thanks!
perfect compliment to a heavy friendsgiving meal. The pickled onions take it to the next level. I thought it was a great blend of flavors, and probably wouldn’t even add the apple next time. the pomegranate and honey do enough for the sweet. SO GOOD.
Deb,
I have never heard of “Sumac” (besides the shrub!). Is there anything I can substitute for it?
Thanks so much! This salad looks amazing!!
Yes, a good fresh paprika, or skip it. Sumac tastes like a sour paprika.
This was a hit at our Thanksgiving table! I left off nuts for some guests’ allergies, and substituted smoked sweet paprika for the sumac. Thanks for a terrific combination!
Thanks for this recipe! I made it twice this week and it was a hit at Thanksgiving.
I might add toasted hazelnuts to the leftovers for even more amped-up wintriness.
This was such a huge hit on Thanksgiving that I’m making it again for Friendsgiving today! Thank you!
Made this for first time for Thanksgiving gang of 17. I doubled the recipe and glad I did. Was a super huge hit and will now be a staple on turkey day. Followed the recipe except took a shortcut and bought shredded sprouts. Loved the colors, textures but mostly the taste. YUMM!
This salad was the perfect addition to our Thanksgiving table. Such a great fresh balance to all the delicious carbs! Thanks Deb!
Deb, this salad was such a hit at my Friendsgiving dinner that I’m making it tonight for another party! Like previous comments, it was a wonderful contrast to the heavy, buttery sides offered. I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who struggled finding sumac in their rural neighborhood. I used paprika instead and added a touch more lemon juice to the onions. This salad is a staple! Thanks for sharing another of your amazing recipes.
This recipe is fantastic! Everyone at my Thanksgiving table loved it. Finally found a brussels sprouts recipe that my brussels sprout hating brother really liked! I made it pretty much as written except I doubled it. Shredded the Brussels in food processor using grating blade.
I made this for dinner tonight. As you mentioned, no two salad ar ever the same. I Adjusted the ingredients for the pallet of my guests…and my current energy level! Lol! I basically used Brussels sprouts, apples, and pomegranate seeds with the dressing. And a good dose of flakes salt. It was awesome! it was a nice fresh foil for the richness of the risotto we served it with. Thank you for another great recipe plus the permission to change it up! Got rave reviews and requests for the recipe!!
okay, so this salad is out of this world. i’ve made it three times in about a month; twice for friendsgivings and again for new years. it is absolutely perfect as written, the only changes i made were to double it (half an onion, half a pomegranate, half an apple, half a lemon?… just go for it – especially for a crowd) and also to use pecans instead of walnuts, because The South. but seriously, there was a gal whose 12 year old son went back for seconds, and she was all “WHATTTT? he’s going back for salad seconds??”
i used my food processor on blade mode for the sprouts, it worked awesomely. and the leftovers are absolutely great, if not as pretty as the freshly shredded sprouts, but hey. deliciousness. <3
I tried this recipe this week and it was so yummy! It says 4-6 servings but I definitely ate it all in two sittings haha. I added white beans for protein so I could eat it as lunch and it worked! I’m still not sure if my family would go for it at Thanksgiving (they are a bit veg-avoiding) but I loved it.
Made this and it was delicious! At first I was skeptical, but then I realized that you’ve never steered me wrong. I left out the sumac as my husband doesn’t like it; everything else I did pretty much according to the recipe. It turned out great! I used a mandolin to slice the brussels sprouts until I got worried for my fingers, and then chopped those parts with a knife so it was really finely cut, kind of coleslaw-like. I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed brussels sprouts so much! Thank you for this one! It’s a perfect winter salad.
Imho and after making probably 1,000 whole bros in my life, I believe that all whole poultry should be roasted upside down. Who cares what it looks like as long as it’s moist. Also, I brine large birds in a bag, in a cooler filled with ice water, in the garage. No fridge nonsense. No garage/balcony/porch? Leave the cooler in the bathtub. Check every 12 ish hours with a thermometer to be sure you’re hovering right around 32.
If I don’t have sumac can I skip it?
Earlier, you said dry brining was the way to go. i’m shopping today and now wondering if I should do a traditional wet brine? Help!
This would be my 3rd year making this and looking for ways to change it up. What if I roasted the Brussels sprouts first and quickly tossed it in and served immediately? Would that be too scratchy on the mouth?
Made this for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. We were all pretty underwhelmed. Now there’s lots left over– I may see if it’s any better tomorrow, and if not, toss it. In my opinion, it’s not a keeper recipe.
I don’t see ground sumac at my grocery store. Is there a good substitution? Or is it a fresh ingredient and I was looking in the wrong place? Thanks!
just finished for dinner and can’t wait to make it again! So delicious. The brussel sprouts and walnuts bring some meatiness to the dish, the light pickle on the onions is just the right amount, and the pomegranates pop with the easy dressing. Thank you!
Hi! I can’t find sumac at stores now for some reason! Anything else that can be used instead? Erg!
To make ahead, leave the lemon juice, honey and olive oil off but what about the pickled onions? Can I add them to the other liquids and just pour over before serving? Maybe save the walnuts for just before serving, too. Hmm, apples will brown…. Toss them with lemon juice before combining with brussel sprouts? Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend so I’m making my battle plan. #infrequenthostess
Well, this turned out just OK but maybe my expectations were too high. I was hoping for one of those salads where the variety of ingredients “ping” off each other. The flavours didn’t stay separate, they all just mushed together in a middle of the road way. It seemed like way too much onion but even they didn’t over power, just disappeared.
I cut and combined all the fruit and veg in advance and putting the lemon on the apples. I added the pickled onions and walnuts and poured the oil/honey mixture over just before tossing and serving. Do you spot any potential issues?
I made this as a trial run for Thanksgiving and it was AMAZING! I fixed it as written, with the exception of toasted slivered almonds in place of walnuts (and I forgot the chili/heat at the end, but didn’t miss it at all). I’ve already had multiple requests for this recipe after this first go-around and I can’t wait to show it off on my Thanksgiving buffet. I’m definitely going to make extra, because I know the vegetarians in the crowd will go wild for this.
I made this last year as part of my solo Thanksgiving, and it was the surprise star of the show! I’m back to make it again to use up farm share Brussels sprouts–thinking of boiling some eggs to take on the side for lunches this week! It’s such a bright and fresh contrast to all the (still delicious) root veggie roasting that happens this time of year.
I have made this quite a few times now and two thoughts- first, it’s really nbd if you don’t have a mandoline! Just slice sprouts in half pile to pile so they lay flat and it’s easier to slice thin.
But also, I think this salad is immeasurably better on day two, or at least with several hours under it. It maintains its crunch but the flavors become so much more complex. It does lose some of the brightness but the taste more than makes up for it!
Get a kosher turkey! Someone else has already brined it. No mopping necessary.
I would like to make this salad for early Thanksgiving on Sunday. What can be substituted for the ground sumac? I have never seen it before.
You can use paprika.
Made this for dinner tonight with some salmon. LOVED it. Tastes so fresh, and hits everything: crunchy, sweet, bright, savory. Perfect side for a fatty main dish, or for a main course salad, which I’ll do next time. I made it as written with no substitutions, since I happened to have all ingredients on hand. If you crave fresh vegetables, make this.
What has happened to the print button? Am I the only person left who does not like to cook with their phone in hand?
There was an error on the site blocking the Print icon, however, it’s been fixed. Try restarting your browser and it should reappear. If that doesn’t work, can you clear your browser cache? That will do the trick and definitely let me know if it does not. Finally, even without the print button, every recipe is printable from CTRL or ⌘ + P [on desktop], File > Print on a Mac, or from the share button (the one that looks like an up-arrow coming out of a box) at the bottom of the Safari browser on an iPhone.
Thank you! And thank you for the printing tips. Looking forward to this amazing salad. Happy Thanksgiving!
Printing isn’t working for me either :(
How do I print the recipe?? I don’t see any “Print” options??
Can the onions be pickled a different way without sumac?
I made this as written yesterday. My Southern family was exceedingly skeptical and could not believe that I was actually making something that was green AND healthy for Thanksgiving. I got the dressing on it, and everyone stood around the counter taking bites and stabbing each other with forks to get more. Thank you Deb for the sleeper hit of our Thanksgiving.
Made for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Such a bright and refreshing dish among a lot of heavy things. Great textures and flavors, and I’ll be finding new ways to use the pickled onion sumac dressing.
I used this as a topping for chicken pitas as a wintery substitute for parsley tabbouleh or cucumber tomato salad and it was fantastic! Good the next day, too.
Hello this is one of my favorite salads. I recently found out that I cannot eat pomegranate seeds. Do you have a suggestion for substitutions for that? Thanks!
This was a great addition to our Thanksgiving meal! Everyone loved the bright pops of flavor. I doubled the apple, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It also keeps decently well the next day for a salad.
I didn’t think the sumac was necessary, and it’s not very pretty on the greens. Next time I’ll just use more acid. Otherwise, muy delicioso! Nice use of brussels sprouts.
This was a big hit. I put about 2/3 of the dressing on it. I served it with Samin Nostrat’s big lasagne and it was perfect, fresh and acidic. I was getting grouchy about toasting walnuts but they added a lot of flavor and texture.
Instant holiday family favorite! Kids loved helping deseed the pomegranate too.
The store was out of brussel sprouts the second time making this—I found that 1/2 bunch chopped kale and 1/2 head of shredded green cabbage make for an excellent substitute that still achieves the same flavor, texture, and color (or as an addition you want to increase the servings but not chop any more brussies!).
Made this last night without the brussel sprouts, using salad greens instead and it was delicious. I also added a bit of Dijon mustard to the dressing.
I love this salad. All of the flavors and textures. It’s a favorite among my adventurous holiday eaters.
I want to make this Brussels sprouts salad for a group of 11. The recipe doesn’t say how many servings it makes. Just trying to get a general sense of how much I should make.
SUPER URGENT QUESTIONS!!!
1. how many does this serve?
2. it is unclear if you mean do not add the pickled red onions early or DO add those BUT hold off on the dressing, by which i assume you mean the lemon/EVOO/honey mixture, until serving: please clarify this
3. if intend to massage brussels with lemon/evoo ahead to soften, how should adjustments be made to the amounts of these in the “dressing”?
4. you mention some people like MORE of the dressing; would you double or triple the amounts and then pour over incrementally until to taste?
When I started doing a brined turkey, and before I knew about the large Cambro food containers, we used a Home Depot bucket. Got it brand new, washed and sanitized the heck out of it. Once we got the Cambro, the Home Depot bucket went to the garage. In the off season, the Cambro stores all the Thanksgiving specific utensils and gadgets. P.S. I, too, am always terrified I’m going to give my family a food-borne illness when it comes to the turkey.
This was a big hit at thanksgiving dinner, and will become a regular winter side salad. I forgot to buy sumac so I subbed Zataar, and someone stole my lemon for another dish so I added more red wine vinegar at the end. Delicious!
Loved this salad! Swapped walnuts for pecans, used a mix of granny smith and honeycrisps. Huge hit at the thanksgiving table! True quote from one adult man “this is the first time in my life that I’ve actively enjoyed eating a salad.” Thank you, Deb!
This was a winner for our Thanksgiving. My husband hates brussel sprouts, but kept commenting throughout the meal on what a lovely ‘tart’ salad it is. You should have seen his face when I told him the ingredients!
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was incredible, thank you so much for this recipe! It came together so quickly and was just as refreshing the next day.
Every year I make some variation of a brussels + shredded kale salad for Thanksgiving. And though I’m skeptical of fruit in salads (especially two different kinds of fruits!), I
have to say, this one was the best I’ve made. The flavors hit so well with all the other heavy Thanksgiving foods, and the pickled red onion was what really elevated the salad. I used shredded kale in addition to Brussels sprouts, making it more colorful, and it was a big hit. Thank you again for all your amazing inspiring recipes!