By — Leanne Brown Leanne Brown Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/cooking-for-just-a-few-thanksgiving-dinner-in-one-pan Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Cooking for just a few? Thanksgiving dinner in one pan Nation Nov 23, 2015 6:11 PM EDT Editor’s Note: Leanne Brown, the author of ‘Good and Cheap’ on how to eat well on $4 a day, developed a recipe for the PBS NewsHour and anyone who is cooking for just a few people this Thanksgiving and wants to keep the meal simple and inexpensive. And Brown was kind enough to give us three recipes from her cookbook, which coincidentally would be perfect for your holiday potluck parties! Find recipes for deviled eggs, a cheesy cauliflower dish and squash puree. Simple One-Sheet Thanksgiving Dinner These are all my favorite things about Thanksgiving on one pan. Maximum deliciousness with minimal fuss and worry. Of course I am not advocating that you shouldn’t make the effort for a more involved meal, but if you’re just cooking for a few, consider simplifying so you have more time to visit and enjoy one another. Serves 4, or 2 VERY HUNGRY people 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, chopped ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional) 2 2 pound turkey drumsticks, at room temperature olive oil or butter, for greasing salt and pepper 1 pound baby potatoes 1 pound sweet potato head of garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound brussels sprouts Set the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl mash three tablespoons of the butter with the rosemary, sage and paprika. Prepare each drumstick: Using either your hands or a sharp knife, loosen the skin and pull it away from the rest of the turkey. Poke a few small holes under the skin of the turkey leg all over . Using your hands, spread the butter-herb mixture on the turkey legs, being sure to press the butter into the holes you made and get it underneath and on top of the skin. READ: For some people’s diets, ice cream can be good thing Grease a sheet pan with olive oil or butter, and lay the turkey legs on top. Cover with aluminum foil, and roast for 45 minutes. While the turkey roasts, prepare your vegetables. Chop the baby potatoes and sweet potato into bite-size pieces. Melt the remaining three tablespoons of butter and pour it all over the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat, and set aside. Cut the top off of a whole head of garlic so that the cloves are all exposed. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil all over the garlic. When the turkey drumsticks have cooked for 45 minutes, pull them out, and remove the aluminum foil. Add the garlic and potatoes to the pan, nestling them around the drumsticks. Cook for 25 minutes. Scrub the Brussels sprouts, taking off any outer leaves that are too wilted or dirty. Chop off the root and slice them in half. Toss them into a bowl and pour the remaining one tablespoon of melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven after the garlic and potatoes have cooked for 25 minutes, and add the brussel sprouts to the pan, spreading them evenly among the other vegetables. Cook for another 20 minutes. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven and test to see if the turkey is cooked through. It should be golden, light red and crispy. If you have a digital thermometer, poke it into the thickest part of the meat. If it reads 180 F it is fully cooked. If it is lower, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes. If you don’t have a thermometer, make a small cut in the meat. If the juices run clear, then the meat is fully cooked. Test to see if the vegetables are soft enough. If not, put them back in the oven for a few more minutes. You may need to adjust cooking times depending on the size of your cut vegetables or turkey legs. Just make sure everything is cooked! Let the turkey and vegetables rest for about 10 minutes. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, remove it from the sheet pan and gently squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins onto a cutting board. Mash it into a paste. Scoop the vegetables into a bowl and add the roasted garlic paste. Toss them together to coat. Taste them and add more salt and pepper if needed. They should be very flavorful from the spices, garlic, and turkey juices Slice up the drumsticks and enjoy! Leftover tip: Cut the turkey meat away from the bone and chop it into small pieces. Warm a little oil or butter to a pan on medium heat, then cook the turkey and vegetables to heat through. Crack a couple of eggs into the mixture and toss and scramble until the eggs are cooked. Thanksgiving hash! By — Leanne Brown Leanne Brown Leanne Brown is the author of "Good and Cheap," a cookbook for people with limited income, particularly a $4/day food stamps budget. @leelb
Editor’s Note: Leanne Brown, the author of ‘Good and Cheap’ on how to eat well on $4 a day, developed a recipe for the PBS NewsHour and anyone who is cooking for just a few people this Thanksgiving and wants to keep the meal simple and inexpensive. And Brown was kind enough to give us three recipes from her cookbook, which coincidentally would be perfect for your holiday potluck parties! Find recipes for deviled eggs, a cheesy cauliflower dish and squash puree. Simple One-Sheet Thanksgiving Dinner These are all my favorite things about Thanksgiving on one pan. Maximum deliciousness with minimal fuss and worry. Of course I am not advocating that you shouldn’t make the effort for a more involved meal, but if you’re just cooking for a few, consider simplifying so you have more time to visit and enjoy one another. Serves 4, or 2 VERY HUNGRY people 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, chopped ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional) 2 2 pound turkey drumsticks, at room temperature olive oil or butter, for greasing salt and pepper 1 pound baby potatoes 1 pound sweet potato head of garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound brussels sprouts Set the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl mash three tablespoons of the butter with the rosemary, sage and paprika. Prepare each drumstick: Using either your hands or a sharp knife, loosen the skin and pull it away from the rest of the turkey. Poke a few small holes under the skin of the turkey leg all over . Using your hands, spread the butter-herb mixture on the turkey legs, being sure to press the butter into the holes you made and get it underneath and on top of the skin. READ: For some people’s diets, ice cream can be good thing Grease a sheet pan with olive oil or butter, and lay the turkey legs on top. Cover with aluminum foil, and roast for 45 minutes. While the turkey roasts, prepare your vegetables. Chop the baby potatoes and sweet potato into bite-size pieces. Melt the remaining three tablespoons of butter and pour it all over the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat, and set aside. Cut the top off of a whole head of garlic so that the cloves are all exposed. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil all over the garlic. When the turkey drumsticks have cooked for 45 minutes, pull them out, and remove the aluminum foil. Add the garlic and potatoes to the pan, nestling them around the drumsticks. Cook for 25 minutes. Scrub the Brussels sprouts, taking off any outer leaves that are too wilted or dirty. Chop off the root and slice them in half. Toss them into a bowl and pour the remaining one tablespoon of melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven after the garlic and potatoes have cooked for 25 minutes, and add the brussel sprouts to the pan, spreading them evenly among the other vegetables. Cook for another 20 minutes. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven and test to see if the turkey is cooked through. It should be golden, light red and crispy. If you have a digital thermometer, poke it into the thickest part of the meat. If it reads 180 F it is fully cooked. If it is lower, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes. If you don’t have a thermometer, make a small cut in the meat. If the juices run clear, then the meat is fully cooked. Test to see if the vegetables are soft enough. If not, put them back in the oven for a few more minutes. You may need to adjust cooking times depending on the size of your cut vegetables or turkey legs. Just make sure everything is cooked! Let the turkey and vegetables rest for about 10 minutes. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, remove it from the sheet pan and gently squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins onto a cutting board. Mash it into a paste. Scoop the vegetables into a bowl and add the roasted garlic paste. Toss them together to coat. Taste them and add more salt and pepper if needed. They should be very flavorful from the spices, garlic, and turkey juices Slice up the drumsticks and enjoy! Leftover tip: Cut the turkey meat away from the bone and chop it into small pieces. Warm a little oil or butter to a pan on medium heat, then cook the turkey and vegetables to heat through. Crack a couple of eggs into the mixture and toss and scramble until the eggs are cooked. Thanksgiving hash!