In honor of Thanksgiving this week, we asked celebrity chefs, tastemakers, gourmands, industry insiders, and even our crew, which dish they’re looking forward to most. Here’s what they said:
Fried turkey!
Cee Lo Green, musician
Southern-style sweet potatoes
Eric Benet, musician
Chestnut sausage stuffing, mostly ‘cause I use it on sandwiches for a week after Thanksgiving.
Geoffrey Zakarian, chef/owner of Lambs Club
Mine is this amazing sausage stuffing that GZ makes. Yum!
Margaret Zakarian, owner of Lambs Club
We really don't do the traditional Thanksgiving. It's a potluck of a lot of Filipino food, my Mom’s wonton soup and my aunt’s stewed oxtails with peanuts and shrimp paste are always my favorites. I’m reminded of my family when I eat those dishes, that “Ratatouille” moment when you get sucked back into a time and place, total nostalgia.
Dale Talde, Chef / Owner of Talde
Potatoes are a staple on Thanksgiving tables, but I love the elegance of fingerlings in particular. They are the perfect size to incorporate into a mix of seasonal vegetables, or by themselves, roasted with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Laurent Tourondel, Chef of BLT American Brasserie
Brussels sprout salad with toasted pumpkin seeds and queso fresco. The toasted pumpkin seeds are a great way to use up the usual leftover from pumpkin dishes and provide a flavorful nuttiness and texture to complement this earthy vegetable. Parents will rejoice with this recipe too: adding the mild queso fresco may get the kids to finally be tempted to eat this nutritious, classic side!
Julian Medina, Chef of Toloache & Toloache 82
Braised Red Cabbage is a traditional Austrian dish that has both a little bit of sweet and sour in it, and it goes well with fall and winter dishes. My family used to harvest red cabbages just before the snowfall and kept them in a cellar for months. Braised Red Cabbage was one of our favorite dishes, and the first ones of the season we would also serve for our dinners.
Wolfgang Puck, Chef/Owner of Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air
For me, its the big turkey leg with crispy skin and followed next day by dark meat only turkey sandwich in hot baguette with herb mayo and tomato.
John MacDonald, Owner of Lure, Burger & Barrel and MercBar
Stuffing and gravy all day long!
Gabriel Stulman, owner of Joseph Leonard, Fedora and Jeffrey's Grocery
Carrot-Cranberry chutney. It’s a take on the traditional American cranberry sauce, strongly influenced by the lingonberry chutneys common in Sweden.
Marcus Samuelsson, Chef / Owner of Red Rooster
Shaker lemon pie and leftover turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce and lots of Best Foods mayonnaise.
Scott Hocker, editor-in-chief of Tasting Table
And, who said those guys above are the experts when it comes to Thanksgiving feasts? Here's what our food-loving crew said:
Oyster stuffing with gravy and more oyster stuffing with gravy and more oyster stuffing with gravy and then a giant slice of pumpkin pie.
Caroline Kim, LXTV Editorial Director
My mom’s pecan crusted sweet potato casserole and homemade dinner rolls. Already sad knowing I’ll miss it this year. But, I have the recipe, and other than a little special butter I toss in, they are nearly identical.
Craig Turpin, Promotions Editor of 1st Look
It would have to be a tie between green bean casserole (well done with extra crunch onions) and my grandma’s sweet potato pie with marshmallows on top!
Brady Leifer, Production Coordinator of Open House
My parents are from Germany, and each year my Mom makes the most delicious side dishes of baked red cabbage and German dumplings. They are my favorite food tradition!
Stephanie Kurtz, Supervising Producer of 1st Look
Crispy fried chicken breast, baked macaroni and cheese with bread crumbs, whipped yams with marshmallows on top, fresh collard greens cooked with smoked turkey, and hot buttery cornbread. I can’t wait 'til Thursday!!!
Deandra Hayes, Editor of Open House
I hate to be super boring but I'm not a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving foods, so I would have to go with Turkey.
Rich Kaplinski, LXTV Editor
My mom makes a banging chestnut stuffing with sweet and spicy sausage. Also, Vasilopita, its a traditional New Year’s cake/bread that the Greeks make.
Lexi Konstantopoulos, Editor of New York Live
If I had to choose, it would be the sides for sure. I like my mom’s apple sausage and sage stuffing. Yum! Then, it’s the potatoes and Brussels sprouts! By the way, I'm starving! So now that's all I can think about.
Sara Gore, Host of New York Live
Hands down all the Turkey Day fixings, the day after Thanksgiving, as a sandwich on white bread.
Andy Scerbo & George Oliphant, Supervising Producer & Host of George to the Rescue
Sweet potatoes!
Alex Gittleson, Producer of George to the Rescue
My mom makes this baked mac ‘n’ cheese with an insane breadcrumb top... the best!
Siafa Lewis, New York Live reporter
The turkey takes a back seat at my house. Bring out the pumpkin pie with a little bit of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream! It’s so finger-licking good!
Vicky Baftiri, Segment Producer of 1st Look
The leftovers! I usually take them and make my own Korean-Thanksgiving Fusion of Bibimbap, mixing rice, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and kimchi.
Grace Kim, LXTV Director of Production
Sweet potato pie with melted marshmallows on top... delicious!
Beth Gerstenbluth & Kristin Kropp, EP of 1st Look & Producer of George to the Rescue
I’m sure my aunt would be sad to hear this because she makes an amazing Thanksgiving meal, but my favorite Thanksgiving “dish” is canned cranberries (the kind that makes that suction noise and still has can ring imprints when it comes out). Delish. She also makes super scrumptious blueberry pie.
Allison Jarvis, Segment Producer of 1st Look
My uncle makes a baked brie that's pure heaven (and cholesterol) in a hollowed-out sourdough loaf of bread. I literally eat a pound of cheese every Thanksgiving and spend the rest of the year dreaming about it.
Brian Mait, Segment Producer of 1st Look
Five Cup Salad , an Old Al-Jinabi family tradition.
Lemeya Al-Jinabi, Supervising Producer of 1st Look
I can’t even kind of wrap my head around this question. Turkey Day is my favorite day of the year. I love everything on the table, especially if it’s pumpkin-related.
Maureen Giannone, Segment Producer of 1st Look
I dream of this plate all year... it’s the ultimate combo of the “Asian” turkey (You’ll have to ask my grandma why it’s “Asian”) and the traditional turkey with lots of mashed potatoes and stuffing piled on top.
Linda Vongkhamchanh, LXTV web editor
Tell us your favorites in the comments section below! For more 1st Look fun, tune in Saturdays after Saturday Night Live on NBC
Thanksgiving Feast: Cee Lo, Top Chefs (And, Our Crew!) Share Their Favorite Dishes
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