Shallot-chili Crisp Panzanella

I wanted to challenge myself with making recipes for my three least favorite parts of the thanksgiving plate: mac n’ cheese, salad, and stuffing. PLEASE do not come for me for disliking mac and stuffing. To address the former, I’ve already discussed my general dislike for the carb + cheese combo. To address the latter, I actually grew up with both sides of my family making a version of matzoh stuffing (the unleavened cracker “bread” more similar to cardboard than an edible food item). So perhaps you could understand why I never grew up enjoying stuffing. It wasn’t until I learned to cook and could make stuffing with actual bread did I sort of begin to understand why people enjoy it.

Anyway publishing Thanksgiving recipes is sort of intimidating. We all hold such close and meaningful food traditions this time of the year, so to say “trust me. make this.” is bold. In that vein, I wanted to publish recipes that offered something new. That weren’t just part of the millions of recipes on social media telling you to make mac n’ cheese with 90 kinds of cheese or turkey injected with so much liquid brine it bursts open when you slice into it???? (Do we actually like those videos? They personally concern me.)

These recipes are different but familiar, autumnal yet not boring. They offer texture and depth. Richness yet not overpowering. They get you in the kitchen but aren’t unnecessarily laborious (for a normal dinner, yes maybe. for thanksgiving, more average).

The galette is really an innovation to behold. My dad actually gave me the idea when I was on the phone with him: “What if you somehow could bake stuffing in something flaky and crunchy and buttery?” … Genius. It’s a classic stuffing for the filling with leeks and sage, and of course lots of butter. A double carb, a rare category of foods that makes it all the more special for thanksgiving.

The mac n’ cheese has already gone viral on Instagram and TikTok, so I don’t feel the need to delve too much into it. It’s a mac with lots of gruyere and caramelized onions. What’s not to love?

The panzanella is a variation on a salad I made over the summer for a dinner party. I realized you could easily fry shallots in the same oil you’re going to use to make the chili crunch, paying homage to classic green bean casserole and pulling the dish visually into thanksgiving territory. Panzanella makes sense to me for a fall spread because after all, more bread. But it’s still 75% well-seasoned tomatoes and cucumbers. Not necessarily fall produce, but simply seasoning them with salt to draw out their extra moisture will help bring out their flavor.

For the love of my second favorite holiday,

Ryan