Thanksgiving In Review Part 1

We had a very nice Thanksgiving this year. Before diving into the food I'd like to take a moment and say how thankful I am for my husband for doing everything for Thanksgiving on his own this year. I know it is so hard for him to have me on bedrest, so to have him not only do a full out Thanksgiving dinner, but had 4 guests over as well, it blows my mind. I am so blessed to have him.

Now, a quick disclaimer, I am  only commenting on the recipes and what can be improved for next time (or whether they are worth having again at all). This is in no way meant as a slight on John's cooking. One person has already stated that since I had no involvement in the meal that I don't get to comment. But that's not how it works for us. John knows it was a good meal, he knows how much I appreciate. But if I just rave about that and never comment on the actual food, then it doesn't improve. So here we go.

I am starting with the Mashed Potatoes. We have used this recipe before and I love it. I love the addition of the celery root, it gives it a nice flavor and makes these worth eating all on their own, no gravy required (though I do love gravy and gladly put it on).

Potato and Celery Root Mash

Ingredients

• 3  pounds  Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1  pound  celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2  cups  half-and-half
• 4  tablespoons  unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Place the potatoes and celery root in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and add 2 teaspoons salt. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Drain and return the vegetables to the pot.
2. Add the half-and-half, butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mash to the desired consistency. Sprinkle with the chives. 

This year we used white potatoes as the store was out of yellow and it wasn't worth it to us to have John have to go back on another day. It worked well. Not as great as with gold potatoes, but still quite tasty. **Note DO NOT try with red potatoes. It does not turn out well. Unless you wanted paste, then it is an excellent recipe for the old school kindergarten paste.**
We need to start weighing our celery root. In the past I just go get a celery root from the store (ugly looking thing and hard to spot, at least for me) and use about half of it, because all of it was overpowering. This year we doubled (or so) the recipe, and used a whole celery root. But they are smaller this year, so it didn't seem to have quite enough. This is our own trial and error as we strive for the perfect ratio for our family.
Instead of half-and-half, in the past I've used soy milk and extra butter. This year I had planned on using the MimicCreme to see how that went, but in all the hubbub it was forgetten and just made the usual way. I would like to see how it turns out with it. Maybe for Christmas.
Lastly, we don't use chives. Don't get me wrong, I love chives and think they would work great be 1) they are expensive here, and I don't want to buy them for just one thing. And 2) we have small children, just imagine the "What is this green thing in my potatoes?" "Why is there grass in my potatoes?" and the ever present "I don't like this." All based on it's looks. So we forgo the chives. These potatoes do not last long in our house at all.