The Oredigger’s Picks For Best Thanksgiving Dishes

By Zachary Barry, Lauren D’Ambra, and Jade Glaister

  Ah, Thanksgiving, a time to gather with family and friends, have awkward conversations, appreciate all that’s good in your life and the world, and chow down on some of your favorite foods. With a holiday so synonymous with eating and sampling a plethora of dishes, it’s no surprise that if you asked a dozen people what dish they like best you might get a dozen different responses. We here at The Oredigger office decided to share some of our favorites. The Editor in Chief Lauren D’ Ambra said her favorite was brie and cranberry tartlets and was nice enough to share the recipe. Both Jade Glaister, a staff writer, and Zachary Barry, the arts and culture section editor, preferred potato dishes, with the former opting for the classic mashed potatoes and the latter preferring a potatoes Au Gratin dish with Munster cheese.

   Everybody has a favorite thanksgiving dish! Mine is definitely my mom’s brie and cranberry

tartlets. They’re so good and I look forward to eating some every Thanksgiving! I usually help

my mom bake them and it’s easy to make a large batch for holiday parties. These tartlets taste

amazing too, the creamy brie goes great with the tart cranberries.

   The best part? These tartlets are so simple I’ve included the recipe below:

You will need:

1 package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1 package of Brie cheese

1 can of your favorite cranberry sauce (you could also use Lingonberries (my personal

favorite!))

A muffin tin

Non-stick baking spray (or butter)

Sprigs of rosemary (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 350

2. Roll out the crescent roll dough and cut it into little squares (about 2×2 inches)

3. Generously grease your muffin tin. Place 1 square of dough at the bottom of each tin.

Shaping the sides upwards to make a little cup shape

4. Cut your brie into cubes

5. Place a cube or two of brie into each muffin tin

6. Bake for about 10 minus, or until the dough is golden brown and the brie is melted

7. Once the tartlets are cool, remove them from the tin and place a generous spoonful of

cranberry sauce on top. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary if you so desire.

8. That’s it! Repeat as much as you’d like and enjoy your tartlets!

   As a picky eater that cannot eat a lot of foods, Thanksgiving foods are not my favorite. However, there is one exception that I will never turn down and that is a good bowl of mashed potatoes. What more can you ask for? It requires very little effort to eat as you hardly have to chew, and it’s very difficult to mess up so even the worst cook in the family (me) can make them. Due to the incredible malleability of mashed potatoes, you can shape it into whatever you want: craters, volcanoes, topographic maps… the possibilities are endless. The best part, since we are stressed out students, is that you can take out all your frustrations on the potatoes as you prepare them. Worried about exams and assignments? Tell it to the potatoes!

    As a whole, the potato dishes that are served at thanksgiving tend to be my favorite.

Mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or potatoes au gratin, one of these dishes are found at nearly every thanksgiving and are a safe choice when overwhelmed with so many side dish options. Mypersonal favorite is a dish I found on all recipes while a junior in high school; Spinach, Caramelized Onion, and Muenster Au Gratin Potatoes. The rich cheesy Munster pairs incredibly well with the earthy tones of the spinach, onions, and potatoes in the dish. Additionally, this dish keeps well and can be warmed up in an oven the day after Thanksgiving without tasting off, a key quality of any thanksgiving dish, in my opinion.