Thanksgiving for Two (Stuffing/Dressing Recipe)

2020 has been an unprecedented year in so many ways. Thanksgiving, which typically sees the highest volume of travel all year, has been particularly emblematic of how this pandemic has changed how we live our lives. Yet, there is still much to be thankful for in my life, not the least of which is the resurgence of this blog. With this 75th post of 2020, this year surpasses 2012 as the most productive year of No Free Lunch. Like many people, we stayed home for Thanksgiving but still put together a traditional feast for just the two of us. In a way it was a nice to give Thanksgiving a test run with just us before we host one day. It turned out to be a silly amount of food, but there's nothing wrong with having leftovers for a few days. In this post, I'll talk about what we had with a focus on the most iconic of Thanksgiving side dishes. 

I am, of course, talking about "stuffing," also known as "dressing." Despite the name, it's typically made in a casserole dish instead of inside a turkey. This is both safer and allows for making as much as you want. We definitely overdid it a bit and made enough for a whole family. In retrospect, we could easily have halved it and still had plenty of leftovers. Our version was loosely inspired by Kenji's recipe and Adam Ragusea's video on the topic. 

With just the two of us, I roasted a whole chicken rather than a turkey. It's not something I do often and don't yet have a lot of confidence. The age-old difficulty with a whole chicken (or turkey, for that matter) is that the breast is best at a much lower temperature than the thighs and legs. I tried Ragusea's method of cooking the chicken breast up on the stove before moving it to the oven. This was much simpler than other methods (like spatchcocking) and did the job well. This also makes it very easy to make a quick and delicious gravy in the same pan. 

We rounded out the dinner with Michael Solomonov's kale and apple salad. Ariel first made this to go with our brisket for Rosh Hashanah this year and it quickly became a family favorite. 

Of course, no Wai family Thanksgiving could be complete without party salad! It's a true Upper Midwest treat. Ariel even talked her parents into adding it to their table this year. As I hear, it went over well. I hope everyone was able to make the best of these unusual circumstances and celebrate in a safe way that will enable people to come together next year. Cheers, and happy Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 2 loaves of bread
• 1/2 lb. diced celery
• 1/2 lb. diced carrot
• 1/2 lb. diced onion
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter
• 4 large eggs
• 6 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Herbs and spices to taste (we used Bell's poultry seasoning - a New England favorite)

Instructions

Ahead of time, cut the bread into small cubes and spread out over two baking pans. Bake at 275 degrees F until dried out. 

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion and sauté until softened. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper as they cook. Add garlic and cook another minute. 

Transfer to a large baking dish. Add the bread and eggs and mix together. Add the stock. This should cool down the vegetables enough to get in there and mix everything thoroughly with your hands. Season to taste with more salt and herbs and spices of your choice. We used Bell's poultry seasoning, a mix of several different herbs. Don't be afraid to pick out a piece to taste for seasoning.

Press into an even layer, then use fingers to disrupt the top to get more browning on top. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 45 minutes. About 30 minutes crossed over with my chicken at 425 degrees. After I took out the chicken, I increased the temperature to 450.