Happy Valley chefs share Thanksgiving tips, mistakes to avoid and favorite dishes
On no other holiday does food take center stage quite as much as it does on Thanksgiving. However, putting together an impressive Thanksgiving dinner is easier said than done. If anyone knows how to put on a festive feast, though, it’s Happy Valley’s chefs.
Chef Harrison Schailey’s restaurant, The Overlook Grill, for example, serves more than 500 take-home ready meals for Thanksgiving each year, with traditional turkey dinners, plus all the trimmings and desserts, and even a vegan entree option. For Schailey, Thanksgiving often requires him to work in the mornings, before it’s off to visit family in the afternoon.
“It’s usually a lot of people — more people than there is table space, so a lot of the adults end up squeezing in at the kids’ tables. It’s a fun time,” he said. “On the table, it’s obviously turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes with the little marshmallows on top. ... My mom also always made coleslaw that was so finely shredded — the cabbage pieces were tiny! And she would make this horseradish and beets dish. She would take the beets and shred them, and put horseradish in them, and that would be like a condiment for our whole turkey meal. It’s an Eastern European dish that my grandmother’s mother, who was from Hungary, always made, and it’s used for dipping, almost like people use ketchup.”
But for Schailey, his personal favorite dish to make for Thanksgiving is the star of the show, the turkey.
“I enjoy the preparation of it,” he said. “I like to stuff the bird — the stuffing tastes so much better after it’s been cooked in the bird — and I rub butter under the skin. Once that’s done, I just get it in the oven early since it takes so long to cook. You definitely can’t rush it.”
That, he said, is his top tip for home cooks this Thanksgiving: Don’t rush the process. In fact, he said home cooks should start thawing their turkeys two to three days in advance, and they can start their other meal prep one or two days in advance as well.
It’s advice that other Centre County chefs are quick to back up. Stephanie Forcey, chef at Mercato Mio Italian Market, points to the French culinary phrase, “mise en place,” or “everything in its place.” The mise en place process typically includes prepping all of your ingredients ahead of time, as well as preparing and double-checking all your cookware and equipment.
“Think ahead,” she said. “Most foods can be prepared in advanced (and) all you have to do is cook it the day of.”
Rebecca Elman, personal chef and founder of The Hidden Hostess, added, “Desserts are great to make a day or two beforehand. Even things like prepping your vegetables early, so they are ready to cook on the day, can be a big help.”
Elman also said that one of the top mistakes she sees home cooks making around the holidays is simply trying to do too much.
“You don’t need so many options,” she said. “Cook your turkey and just a few sides that you do really well. This way, it’s not overwhelming and you can make some really special sides, instead of just a lot of sides.”
And when it comes to the turkey, take a few extra steps to ensure you don’t end up with a dry bird. Chef Kenny Pridgen, of Maine Bay & Berry Co.’s Downeast Cafe, advises home cooks not to rely on the plastic meat thermometers that come with your store-bought turkey. Instead, invest in a proper meat thermometer. Additionally, baste often, cook until your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and then let the turkey rest for 45 minutes to an hour before carving. Otherwise, he said, “all that juicy flavor will spill out as you carve it.”
As for the perfect, foolproof side dishes — whether for your own meal or to volunteer to make as a guest — you can rely on local chefs for a few tips there as well. Forcey recommends a cranberry salad: “(It’s) very simple, it can be done ahead of time, and you don’t have to worry about keeping it hot.”
Schailey similarly recommends upgrading your traditional cranberry sauce. “A lot of people just cook down the cranberries and add a little sugar, and it’s a little one-dimensional,” he said. “Instead of making traditional cranberries, you can make a chutney. With the chutney, it has the spices, like cumin and ginger, and you can put raisins or other dried fruit in it to add layers of flavor and texture. You can make it a couple days ahead of time, and then it’s done. You just have to put it out on Thanksgiving Day.”
He also suggests a modern Waldorf salad, stuffing or sweet potatoes. You can go with the classic baked sweet potatoes, or, as Elman suggested, make a sweet potato mash.
“We always have a sweet potato mash on our Thanksgiving table, which is easy to make and super-delicious,” she said. “It’s sweet potatoes mashed with carrots, orange juice, honey, cardamom and nutmeg. You can top it with marshmallows if you desire!”
And when all those delicious eats are finished, every plate is cleared and it’s time to clean up, Forcey recommends you call in the troops. “Invite your family and friends over so they can clean up the dishes. Pay them in leftovers!”
Modern Waldorf salad
Recipe from Harrison Schailey, chef at The Overlook Grill
4 cups fresh local green apple (approximately 4 apples)
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup chopped green onion
5-6 leaves radicchio
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon honey (to taste)
2 tablespoon orange juice
½ teaspoon orange zest
salt & pepper to taste
Combine yogurt, honey, orange juice and zest
Chop pecans
Chop 2 smaller pieces of radicchio into ¼ inch pieces
Core and dice apples into small chunks (¼ inch)
Chop celery into similar size as apple pieces
Combine chopped apple, celery, green onion, Craisins, chopped radicchio, and half of the pecans
Pour the yogurt mixture over the apple mixture and toss.
Divide into 4 servings and place each serving onto a leaf of radicchio
Garnish lightly with additional chopped pecans
Pair with some lightly grilled chicken breast for a light, healthful and enjoyable meal.
Serves 4