I love Thanksgiving. There’s just something about it that sings to my soul.
Spending time with loved ones, giving thanks for the good things in your life, and of course, all the food! OH THE FOOD.
Gary’s going away for a few days today, and with all the lovely #TodayImGrateful tweets to inspire me, I decided I wanted to show him how thankful I am to have him in my life.
So I did a bit of research*. (*OK so when I say research… I mean that I watched all the Thanksgiving episodes of Friends. But that still counts, right?)
A traditional Thanksgiving dinner is BIG. A giant turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, a ton of vegetable sides… not to mention all the gravies and sauces and desserts!
Well that’s all well and good if you have a huge family, or tons of friends (or a Joey!), and are hosting a GINORMOUS feast… But what if there’s just two of you?
And what if you’re both sliiiiiiightly broke because hi, payday is still a week away?
Well I think I’ve nailed the answer to both those questions!
It took me under two hours to cook this entire meal from scratch, and I’m incredibly freaking proud of it.
Guys. It was SO EASY. (Also yum. Have I mentioned that? This dinner was/is YUM.)
Instead of a whole huge massive turkey, I picked up a turkey thigh joint at my local supermarket for £2.50. It’s the perfect sized joint for a dinner for two, with leftovers in a tub for my lunch tomorrow.
All I did was rub the meat with a herby butter, laced with French’s Classic Yellow Mustard for an extra kick of flavour, then roast it to crisp perfection. Simples.
Then I roasted some carrot sticks in a maple-and-mustard glaze. Again: super easy.
The punchy mustard and sweet maple syrup are perfectly balanced, and HELLO. Is there anything more appropriate for Thanksgiving dinner than American mustard and Canadian syrup?
My final masterpiece (my actual favourite dish of the entire meal): an American-style green bean casserole.
Tender green beans are mixed with a mushroom-and-mustard infused béchamel sauce, then topped with cheese and French’s Crunchy Onions, and baked in the oven.
I actually wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. But even Gary loved it. And he hates mushrooms!
(As for me? I mayyyy or may not have already eaten the leftovers…)
It may not be traditional, but (modesty aside) my Thanksgiving dinner is delicious.
It was cheap to buy, easy to cook, and it wasn’t too heavy on the belly either, which meant that a) I could have ice cream, and b) I could watch Louis Theroux instead of napping away the afternoon. Hurrah!
So yeah. MAKE THIS FOOD. IT IS DELICIOUS.
(NOTE: Please for the love of everything, DON’T SUBSTITUTE WITH ENGLISH YELLOW MUSTARD. I love English mustard, but that stuff is LETHAL. The quantities I’ve given below are for the much smoother, much milder, American yellow mustard.)
ROASTED MUSTARD TURKEY THIGH
Serves: 2 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 90 minutes
*You’ll need a medium roasting dish.
INGREDIENTS
-1 turkey thigh, bone in and skin on (about 750g)
-50g of butter, softened
-1 tbsp French’s Classic Yellow Mustard
-1 tsp rosemary
-1 tsp thyme
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-Salt and pepper
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (fan-assisted oven). Pat the turkey thigh dry with some kitchen roll. DON’T WASH IT. It doesn’t clean the meat, and you’ll just get bacteria all over the kitchen. Not good. Just dry it. Then pop it on a roasting tin.
2. Mix the softened butter in a bowl with the mustard, herbs, garlic and seasoning.
3. Wash your hands, then use them to rub the butter aaaaaaall over the meat: over the skin and on the bottom. Then gently prise up the skin and push the butter in underneath the skin too. That will keep the meat really moist and yummy.
4. Cover the tin with silver foil, then pop it in the oven, basting it occasionally with the buttery meat juices. After 45-50 minutes, take the foil off, and pop it back in the oven for another 45 minutes, so the skin can crisp up.
5. To check whether the meat is done, poke a sharp knife into the thickest part of the joint. If it’s done, the juices will run clear. If it’s still running pink, pop it back in for another 10-15 minutes.
6. Once it’s cooked, let the meat rest on the side for 10 minutes before carving.
ROASTED MUSTARD AND MAPLE CARROTS
Serves: 2 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
*You’ll need a small roasting dish.
INGREDIENTS
-3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into batons
-20g butter, melted
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tbsp French’s Classic Yellow Mustard
-1 vegetable stock cube
-Salt and pepper
METHOD
1. Put a pan of hot water on to boil. When it’s bubbling, add the carrots and stock cube to the water, and cook for 10 minutes, until soft but still firm. Once cooked, drain the carrots into a colander, and place in an oven-proof dish.
2. Meanwhile, mix your mustard, maple syrup, melted butter and seasoning in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the carrots, and toss carefully, so that every baton is generously coated.
3. Pop the carrots into the oven with the turkey (190 degrees), for 30-40 minutes, until the carrots are sticky and caramelised on the edges.
AMERICAN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
Serves: 2 | Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
*You’ll need a saucepan and a medium oven-proof dish.
INGREDIENTS
THE CASSEROLE:
-350g fine green beans
-120g mushrooms (I used chestnut)
-100g butter
-2 tsp plain white flour
-300ml milk (I used semi-skimmed)
-1 handful of grated mature cheddar cheese
-1 tbsp French’s Classic Yellow Mustard
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-Salt and pepper
THE TOPPING:
-50g French’s Crunchy Onions
-1 handful of grated mature cheddar cheese
METHOD
1. Put a pan of water on to boil. Chop the ends off the green beans. Wash the mushrooms, remove the stalks, and chop roughly into small-ish pieces.
2. Once the water boils, add the green beans. Cook them for about 10 minutes, until tender, then drain them in a colander and rinse immediately with ice-cold water, to stop them cooking any further. Pop them in an oven-proof dish and put to one side.
2. Put a saucepan on a low-medium heat, and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, throw in the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms cook down slowly for about 5 minutes, until they’re soft and juicy. Then add the garlic and seasoning and cook for another minute.
3. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir it with a wooden spoon for a minute until it’s all mixed in with the buttery mushrooms. Then pour in the milk, add the mustard, and grab a whisk! Whisk the mixture on the heat for about 10 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Throw in the cheddar cheese, and whisk it all again for another couple of minutes, until the sauce is a thick, creamy consistency.
5. Pour the béchamel over the green beans, and mix it all in, making sure everything is coated in the sauce. Then sprinkle the crunchy onions and cheddar cheese over the top, reaching to the edges of the dish.
6. Pop the casserole in the oven with the turkey and carrots, for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is golden. Serve with slices of turkey and a pile of glazed carrots!
*This post was sponsored by French’s.
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