Making Thanksgiving Dinner In 4 Hours (Last Minute Guide)
In a jam on Thanksgiving? Look no further than Joshua Weissman's ultimate last-minute Thanksgiving guide.

Joshua Weissman•
Nov 24, 2021
Ingredients (47)
Ingredients (47)
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Turkey
Cranberry Sauce
Gravy
Green Bean Cabbage Salad
Directions
Stuffing
Pre-heat oven at 350°F
Cut loaf of bread into one-inch size pieces, split it on a baking sheet, place it in the oven, occasionally tossing, for about ten to fifteen minutes or until dry and toasty.
Spray a 9x13” baking pan with vegetable oil, toss in your bread, reserve.
In a medium saucepot, add butter, set the heat to medium, let it melt, add onion, celery, season to taste with salt, stir and let it sweat, occasionally stirring until softened, about two to three minutes. Add oregano, and let it cook for one minute. In a separate bowl, add eggs, a splash of your chicken stock, whisk until thoroughly combined; then add the rest of the chicken stock to your sweating veggies.
Cut the heat, add sage. Add your egg mixture evenly across your bread and your stock and veggie mixture. Give it a toss, sprinkle some flaky salt. Cover with foil, place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Uncover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set and crisp on top.
Mashed Potatoes
Peel your potatoes, rough chop, place in a pot of water and bring it to a boil; let those boil until barely fork-tender, about eight minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, in a small pot add butter, milk and place them under the stove over medium heat until hot.
Drain the potatoes, place them in a bowl, mash them with a hand masher; once smooth, add in your butter mixture, stir together until evenly incorporated. Add crème fraiche, season to taste with salt.
Add chives and fold them in until thoroughly combined; season with salt.
Turkey
Pre-heat oven at 450°F
With kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the spine and remove it entirely. Next, flip the bird (so the open back faces down), press hard down on the breast until it cracks and lays flat.
Cover a baking sheet with foil in line with a wire rack. Place your turkey onto, rub the turkey with softened butter (or olive oil), get some butter under the skin. Underneath the turkey, add two heads of garlic, rosemary (or any other fresh herb), give it an additional coating with a glug of olive oil. Finally, season your turkey with salt.
Place the turkey in the oven for 20 minutes; lower the oven temperature to 400°F.
Roast for fifteen to twenty more minutes or until the turkey’s internal temperature reads 165°F.
Pull your turkey out of the oven and let it rest. Remove the legs, separate the thighs and the drumstick on both of them, remove each of the breasts daintily, slice it on a bias leaving the skin intact as best as you can. Remove the meat from the thigh meat, chop it into bite-size pieces, and lay atop placed herbs on a serving platter.
Cranberry Sauce
Add cranberries, sugar, orange juice, yuzu vinegar (or lemon juice), and orange zest peeled off (avoiding any white pith) in a medium saucepan. Place it on the stove and set over medium-high, bring it to a boil, and let it bubble away until half reduced (syrup consistency)—about five to eight minutes.
Blend the mixture at high speed until smooth, and pass it through a mesh sieve.
Gravy
In a medium, sauce-pan add butter, duck fat, heat over medium heat until completely melted, then add flour, whisk together until combined and allow it to cook, often stirring for about 45 seconds.
Add chicken stock along with shirodashi, let it heat, often stirring until thickened to your liking. Add rosemary lightly bruised left to steep in your gravy for about five minutes.
Green Bean Cabbage Salad
In a large sauté pan, heat enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, set over medium-high. Add green onion, sear, tossing occasionally or until you get some light charring. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add garlic, Thai chilis, and shallots, let that sweat until the veggies are completely soft, about four to five minutes, add green beans, let it cook until the beans begin to soften—place in a bowl.
Heat another couple of tablespoons of oil in the pan until hot, add cabbage, and sear, occasionally tossing until you get some coloration, begins to wilt but still has crunch, about one to two minutes. Place in the bowl along with green onions, lemon zest, crispy shallots, a generous glug of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss together.
Garnish with spicy chili crisp and crushed almonds.