Mashed potatoes can be made an hour or two ahead of time, transferred to a heat-proof serving bowl, and kept warm over a pot of simmering water, partially covered. For just-made flavor, Anderson suggests adding only the salt, pepper, and milk when you mash; stir in the butter when you’re ready to serve.
7. Help! This gravy has no flavor!
Your lump-free gravy looks great…but the taste? Not so much.
Solution
Reach for a couple of common kitchen vices. A splash of fortified alcohol (Madeira, sherry, port) will lend a mellow richness to your gravy. And lots of salt (and freshly ground black pepper, if desired) will emphasize whatever flavor your gravy already claims.
To ensure a better gravy next time, boost the flavor of the pan drippings by strewing thickly sliced carrots, onions, and celery in the pan beneath the raw bird, suggests Anderson. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and, while the turkey roasts, the vegetables will caramelize, lending a depth of flavor to the drippings. Strain and discard the vegetables, or puree them and stir them into the gravy for a thick, sweet sauce. From-scratch turkey stock also prevents bland gravy. You can make and freeze the stock weeks in advance if you use turkey wings, which are available at most meat counters during the holiday season.
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8. Help! I need help!
Several guests have offered to help. But with all burners running, you don’t know where to begin to delegate. Sometimes, you think, it’s easier to do everything yourself.
Solution
Be prepared with a list of noncooking tasks, and make sure everything required is in plain sight. Someone else can easily deal with drinks, opening the wine while you bring the turkey to the table, or making coffee while you clear the dishes. Appoint a sheepdog to herd everyone to the table, and give a five-minute warning that you’re serving hot food, since a couple of guests always seem to straggle.
And when everything really is covered, ask if you can take a rain check on help until cleanup time.
9. How do I deal with all these dishes??
You’d rather linger at the table than face the mess in the kitchen, even if that means hearing your mother explain yet again what hairstyle she finds most flattering on you.
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Solution
Don’t save all the cleaning for after the meal. If you sit down to dinner with the roasting pan soaking in the sink, you’re doomed. But by making some recipes early in the day, you’ll have time in between dishes to clean. Even if you don’t make anything in advance, stop and wash something every half hour or so. Most importantly, get the bulky items (the roasting pan, the pot you made the mashed potatoes in) out of the way before you eat. That way, says Anderson, “when the meal is over, all you’ve got is the basic dishes.”
If you have a cleanup crew, designate a runner to bring in the dishes, a second person to transfer leftovers to containers, and a third to do the cleanup. (And be prepared with aprons, rubber gloves, and dish towels.)
But beware of butterfingers. “Thanksgiving is a very greasy meal,” former caterer and author Francine Maroukian says. “It’s when the glasses break.”
Tempting as it may be to leave the cleanup until later much later, you should refrigerate the leftovers within two hours of cooking. Then pour yourself that cook’s glass of wine that you may have forgotten earlier and sit down. Finally, you can really give thanks.
