My Thanksgiving Confession:

Well, my favorite holiday has arrived. The combo of family and food can’t be beat.?

That said, here is my annual post about my thanksgiving confession and my all-time favorite recipe.?

I think about this about 360 days of the year.?

My Thanksgiving confession…

When spent with family and friends, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.?

But I have a confession.... the real reason I love this holiday has little to do with thankfulness, gatherings, big meals, or pumpkin anything. Those are all ‘nice to haves’ and simply a delightful by-product of a ritual that will eventually bring me to the moment I wait for all year. Everything that happens Thursday will simply be the annual ritual of small events, tasks, and prep steps that must be done to get to the primary reason I love this holiday…

The Friday Turkey Sandwich.?

It will be constructed as follows:?

-2 large pieces of white bread with hearty crust, like a boule bread, center cuts. People will look at the slices and assume ‘those are big slices, surely he’ll cut that and share half.’ They’d be wrong.?

- a layer of mayo. If you use miracle whip, stop reading this and unfriend me. Ok, maybe that’s extreme...miracle whip should be outlawed. Right??

- thin layer of mashed potato. (This step is optional. You can never depend on potatoes. If they were good on Thursday, they may be gone. If they were bad, I don’t want them on my masterpiece.) I primarily use the potato as a binding agent to hold the pieces of turkey in place so they don’t fall out later in the process.?

- a generous mix of warmed white and dark meat turkey. Thick chunks are preferred over slices. Coverage is important here. You may have to do some turkey Tetris.?

- heavy dose of salt and pepper

- a half inch layer of Stove Top Chicken flavor stuffing. Yes, I know turkey flavor is available. Not interested. Over the years many well-meaning do-gooders have tried to get me to use ‘homemade’ stuffing or worse yet, ‘dressing’. Those are fine Thursday sides but I’m not replacing Stove Top. I’ll try your sage loaded, patchouli smelling Pinterest creation, but the leftovers are going home with you and will not be part of my sandwich. I usually buy an extra box of Stove Top just in case.?

- now, a couple thin slices of cranberry sauce. Specifically, the kind that is shaped like the can. No berries, no orange zest...straight up Ocean-spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce. I prefer the entire unopened extra can I purchased for this moment to be refrigerated overnight. I then open both ends of the can and gently push the whole thing out onto a plate.?

Multiple super thin slices are better than thicker cuts. Thin slices seep into the bread a bit and into the stuffing acting as another binding agent, like drywall spackle.?

- once built I lightly butter the outside slices of bread, place it entire thing on my panini press and grill the outside to a golden, crispy exterior. The key is to grill just enough to create a thin crust while keeping the interior portion of bread nice and soft.?

Since the meat, potato, and stuffing are warmed prior to assembly, the panini press does not need to heat the sandwich.

- the sandwich can now be cut in half or thirds or fourths, preferably vertical strips. This is not for sharing purposes, it’s for ease of consumption and to ensure the pieces fit in the dunking vessel.?

- yup, that’s right- dunking. The sandwich can and should be dunked in a side of warm gravy.?

Again, someone here will be thinking they’re going to kick it up a notch by adding the gravy directly to the sandwich. Trust me- you’ll blow the structural integrity of this culinary showpiece. This is not my first rodeo here...stay with the dunk. But not every bite- the gravy can easily overpower the main characters. A little is good, a lot is not better.?

Alrighty then.... there it is. That’s what I’m looking forward to.?

I’m thankful for the chance to relax with good friends and family, and I’m lucky to be surrounded by people who make me smile and laugh, and I’m fortunate enough to be able to get and cook all the wonderful things that make this weekend so special to me- but it’s all a means to an end. Friday’s leftover bonanza is the real moment of celebration.?

Well, however you choose to celebrate and whoever you chose to celebrate with- I hope it’s filled with good uplifting conversation, lots of laughs, some relaxation, and some good old comfort food.?

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS- If you make a post-thanksgiving sandwich, send me a picture!

M.