How to make all our Thanksgiving 2020 dishes for the holiday

Thanksgiving in 2020 is going to look a lot different this year in more ways than one. So instead of doing things the way they’ve always been done, here are recipes that throw tradition out the window — at least just this once — and play around with the expected holiday tropes. You’ll see that the classic dishes can be much easier — and more fun — when you focus on highlighting the qualities in each that really matter.

Food

For Thanksgiving 2020, throw tradition out the window

After almost a year of being at home and the same old, same old, reinvigorate your Thanksgiving table with a fresh outlook on the traditional holiday staples.

Nov. 12, 2020

Want to make all the recipes in our Thanksgiving 2020 menu for your holiday meal this year? Here’s how to organize it so it all hits the table at the same time.

Up to 2 weeks before:

• Make the Cranberry and Clementine Membrillo and store wrapped in its mold until ready to serve.

Up to 1 week before:

• Make the Good Stuff Gravy and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Sunday, Nov. 22:

• Move the turkey for the Butter-Crisped Turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator to begin thawing.

Monday, Nov. 23 and/or Tuesday, Nov. 24:

• Make the Pumpkin Nemesis and store wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
• Make the Malted Milk Pecan Pie and store wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature.
• Make the Apple Fritter Cake with Butterscotch Glaze and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Wednesday, Nov. 25:

• Bake the yams for the Very Slow-Roasted Yams, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Make the Rosemary-Maple Walnuts and/or Seven-Herb Sauce for the yams and store both in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator overnight.
• Fry the onions for the Dry-Fried Green Beans and Mushrooms with Sizzled Onions and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Make the potatoes for the Once-Baked Mashed Potatoes with Fried Sage Skins, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Fry the potato skins for the mashed potatoes and store in a paper towel-lined airtight container at room temperature.
• Prepare the yeast roll dough for the Bay Leaf-Butter Yeast Rolls, proof, shape and allow to proof for the second time, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator overnight.
• Stuff the turkey with butter, season and let dry in the refrigerator overnight.
• Prepare the sauce, green beans and mushrooms and store on a plate in the refrigerator overnight.

Thanksgiving day:

• 7:30 a.m.: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator.
• 8:30 a.m.: Bake the yeast rolls.
• 9:00 a.m.: Place the turkey in the oven.

• 12:30-1 p.m.: Roast the bread for the Roasted Bread Salad. Prepare the aromatics for the bread salad while the bread roasts.

  • If you have a second oven, bake the mashed potatoes at the same time. Once they come out, warm the yams, keeping the foil on the whole time. If you have only one oven, bake the mashed potatoes and covered yams in the oven with the bread at the same time and cook until the potatoes and yams are warmed through. Uncover the potatoes and broil at the end to brown on top.
• 1:30 p.m.: Cook the Dry-Fried Green Beans and Mushrooms and top with the fried onions. Toss the bread salad together.
• 1:50 p.m.: Rewarm the gravy. Rewarm the walnuts, if serving. Unmold the cranberry membrillo.

To serve at 2 p.m.:

• Top the yams with the walnuts or the seven-herb sauce. Top the mashed potatoes with the fried sage skins. Carve the turkey and place over the bread salad.

VIDEO | 07:04

LA Times Today: A nontraditional Thanksgiving meal plan

Watch L.A. Times Today at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1 on Channel 1 or live stream on the Spectrum News App. Palos Verdes Peninsula and Orange County viewers can watch on Cox Systems on channel 99.