A Thanksgiving Feast

I was fortunate to enjoy an epic Thanksgiving feast yesterday at my mother's home! Honestly, I think it was the tastiest meal I can recall having in a very long time, if ever! She handled most of the heavy lifting including the turkey (a 22 pounder stuffed with a bouquet of fresh herbs and citrus and hand massaged with softened butter ), her traditional stuffing, some fabulous mashed sweet potatoes from a recipe she found in one of her favorite Kennedy family cookbooks, our pot of Baltimore pork and sauerkraut and a new fabulous addition, bourbon cranberry sauce.  My brother contributed the slow simmered southern green beans with bacon (my favorite) and I brought along this years dressing recipe of choice, chorizo corn bread, buttermilk mashed potatoes and a hot spinach dip hors d'oeuvre.  

Chorizo Corn Bread Stuffing
1 pound of bulk chorizo sausage
1 small loaf cornbread, unsweetened and crumbled
1 small loaf sourdough bread, cubed and toasted 
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 cups chicken stock
1 egg, beaten
3/4 stick butter
salt and pepper

In a very large skillet, saute onion and celery in butter until soft and translucent.  Turn up heat to med high and add chorizo, breaking up with a fork into small pieces.  Cook until browned and cooked through, remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Place bread cubes and crumbled corn bread in a large mixing bowl and add chorizo mixture, egg and chicken stock.  Stir to combine well.  Place in a large butter baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 400 for 30 minutes covered, remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until top is browned. 

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, washed
3/4 stick butter
1 cup milk
1 cup buttermilk 
salt and pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a light boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain potatoes and, when cool enough to handle, pass each one through a potato ricer or food mill.  Add warmed milk and butter, salt and pepper and whip together.  Add buttermilk and whip again until potatoes are fluffly, creamy and lump free. 

Hot Spinach Dip

1 package frozen chopped spinach

1/2 block cream cheese

3 oz. grated Gruyere

1/4 cup milk

1/4 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

olive oil

salt and pepper

Thaw frozen spinach and sqeeze out all excess water, set aside.  In a sauce pan, saute onions, red pepper flake and garlic in a little olive oil.  Add spinach and stir to combine.  Place spinach mixture in a strainer to drain excess liquid.  In same pan heat milk and melt in cream cheese.  Add spinach back to the pan, turn off heat and add half of grated Gruyere, Worcestershire and salt and pepper.  Stir well to combine and place in a small baking dish.  Cover with remaining Gruyere cheese and sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes until hot and bubbly.