I always have trouble processing Thanksgiving because there is so much food. I don’t mean volume, which of course there is too, but rather variety. There are so many different dishes that they all kind of meld into a big Thanksgiving blur in my taste memory.
So, instead of telling you all about everything we had—and I assure you it was all delicious—I’m just going to tell you about the carrots. Company Carrots, my personal favorite Thanksgiving dish.
My grandma Lillian (or Didi), the Italian one, used to make these carrots for holidays. Truth be told, I didn’t like them as a kid and teen, but now I love them. I wish I could have loved them when she was still alive.
The carrots are baked with mayonnaise and horseradish, then topped with breadcrumbs and parsley. It’s an oldey-timey kind of a dish, but shouldn’t be dismissed for that. I have no idea the source of the recipe, but I’d guess a woman’s magazine.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Please post in the comments.
• Company Carrots •
2 bunches (2.5lbs) carrots, peeled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup bread crumbs
paprika
parsley
Heat oven to 375. Cook carrots in boiling, salted water for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Cut carrots in half and then quarter lengthwise. Arrange in a shallow square or rectangular pan.
In a bowl, combine reserved carrot cooking water, mayonnaise, onion, horseradish, salt & pepper. Pour evenly over carrots, top with bread crumbs, dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered until lightly browned. Top with parsley and serve.
Every year my favorite is the pumpkin cheesecake my sister in law makes. And that is saying a lot as I am not a sweets fan.
This year my favorite dish of food was also a vegetable side I made with my sister: Roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts tossed in a parsley lemon zest gremolata while still hot right before serving.
The next day though was the best: there was stil gremolata left over AND a romesco sauce someone had made and a ton of fresh Parmesan cheese. So I made farfalle and then mixed the sauces together and diced up whatever left over roasted veggies we had and tossed it all together with the pasta and a ton of cheese and it was AMAZING. I want it now again. Oh well. Sometimes left overs make magic.