The Longest Day: A Survivor’s Guide

Preparing a holiday dinner for the first time can be quite a challenge (if not downright frightening). But with a little planning, it’s possible for the cook to serve a delicious meal and still be relaxed enough to enjoy it with everyone else.

A few keys to success: Keep in mind the available space and equipment, plan a menu that is equal to your capabilities, and make a timetable. Your personal cooking skills and preferences will help you decide whether to prepare recipes using fresh or convenience foods, or a combination of the two.

The following menu is designed to serve six people, with a little turkey left over for sandwiches. It can be prepared by a cook with limited experience, and it requires a kitchen range having one oven. The timetable is based on serving dinner at 4 p.m. It is meant to be a guide and can certainly be changed or expanded.

THANKSGIVING DINNER MENU

Turkey With Dressing

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Green Vegetable

Cranberry Sauce

Rolls

Wine

Pumpkin Pie

Coffee

You can use either a fresh or a frozen turkey. Decide whether to make a stuffing recipe please see H38) or buy a packaged dressing mix, and whether to bake the pie yourself or purchase one.

Several days ahead, make a shopping list using the menu and recipes. Order your turkey, if you are using a fresh one, or purchase a frozen turkey and begin thawing it in the refrigerator (Please see instructions below.)

Two days ahead, pick up the turkey (if fresh) and other necessary ingredients. The green vegetable can be either fresh or frozen. Choose sweet potatoes of roughly uniform size so they’ll bake evenly. Also purchase ready-to-bake rolls or the ingredients to make your own; the ingredients for homemade cranberry relish or prepared whole-berry or jellied cranberry sauce; wine, if desired; and either regular or instant coffee.

One day ahead, bake or purchase the pumpkin pie.

Thanksgiving morning, prepare the dressing recipe, or follow the directions given for your packaged dressing, and refrigerate. Turn on the oven. Prepare the turkey for roasting according to the recipe that follows.

When to start the turkey in the oven will depend on its weight; a 12-pound bird will take four to 4 1/2 hours, a 14-pounder 4 1/4 to five hours. Since you’re aiming to take the turkey out of the oven around 3:30 p.m., split the difference and put a 12-pound bird in around 11:15 a.m., a 14-pounder around 10:45 a.m. Once it is done, it will not suffer if it comes out of the oven a few minutes before 3:30 p.m., though it may delay things a little if it isn’t ready until a few minutes after that time.

At 1 p.m., set the table. Make the cranberry relish or place store-bought cranberry sauce in a serving dish and refrigerate. Ready the other serving dishes.

At 2:45 p.m., put the the sweet potatoes in the oven.

At 3 p.m., ready the coffee pot. If using a fresh vegetable, prepare it for cooking.

At 3 p.m., begin checking the turkey for doneness. When done--but at least 20 minutes before carving so the juices will set--remove it from the oven. Fill the water glasses and open the wine. Place the cranberry sauce and butter on the table. Prepare the rolls for baking.

At 3:45 p.m., bake the rolls. Begin cooking the fresh or frozen green vegetable. Remove the stuffing from the turkey and cover with foil to keep warm. Slice the turkey--as long as at least 20 minutes have passed since you removed it from the oven.

At 4 p.m., place everything in serving dishes, then on the table.

To prepare the turkey for roasting, remove the neck and giblets from the body cavities (Step 1). Rinse the turkey well with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub salt and pepper to taste into the neck and body cavities.

Place the turkey in a large bowl, tail downward, and lightly spoon stuffing into the neck cavity (Step 2). Pull the neck skin over the stuffing and secure it to the underside of the turkey with a skewer (Step 3).

Remove the turkey from the bowl and turn the wings akimbo (Step 4). Lightly fill the body cavity with stuffing and secure the drumsticks with kitchen twine (Step 5).

Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh next to the body, but not touching any bone. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter (Step 6), if desired. Roast uncovered at 325 degrees 20 to 22 minutes per pound or to an internal temperature of 175 degrees.

Allow the turkey to stand 20 minutes before carving (Please see directions H27).

ROAST TURKEY

1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey

Salt, pepper

Stuffing of choice

Melted butter, optional

Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavities. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper to taste into neck and body cavities.

Lightly spoon stuffing into neck cavity and close with skewer. Turn wings akimbo. Lightly fill body cavity with stuffing. Secure drumsticks lightly with twine.

Insert meat thermometer into center of thigh next to body, but not touching bone. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Roast uncovered at 325 degrees 20 to 22 minutes per pound or to internal temperature of 175 degrees.

Allow turkey to stand 20 minutes before carving. Makes 10 to 12 servings.