Technique

The Made In Thanksgiving 2023 Menu

This year, enjoy a chef-driven menu that has something for everyone.

By Rhoda Boone, Culinary DirectorNov 9, 2023
Overhead view of a festive table with people's hands serving and enjoying a variety of traditional Thanksgiving dishes.

I’m so excited to share Made In’s Thanksgiving 2023 Menu, a thoughtfully curated collection of recipes from a few of our most innovative chef customers. This group of chefs embodies modern culinary culture across the United States, and we are so grateful to work with each of them. With such an impressive group, rather than going for quick and easy, we asked each chef to give us their “flex” recipe for Thanksgiving, something that would challenge and inspire home cooks while expanding their culinary knowledge and skill. If you are looking for a recipe (or six) to shake up your holiday routine, look no further than this menu!

One of the best parts of my job is working with our chefs to translate their ingenious recipes into something a cook can execute in their own home (with the right cookware of course!) That means dialing down recipes designed for 100 turkeys or 100 pies to make just one, or interpreting “chef speak” for folks that have never confited a potato or smoked a vanilla bean. Some of these recipes even had me stumped. So we asked two of the chefs to come to the Made In Studio to show me how to make their dishes in person. I would love for you to follow that journey in our series, Rhoda's Road to Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving, we are thankful for our relationships with our chefs and home cooks that have grown over the years because of their trust in our products. Happy cooking and let us know which of these recipes you decide to add to your table this year!

-Rhoda Boone, Culinary Creative Director, Made In Studio

A Thanksgiving menu with illustrated dishes including roast turkey, various sides, dessert, and a cocktail, each with a brief description and a note on where or how it's made.

Roast Turkey with Herbed Compound Butter

By Chef Grant Achatz, Alinea Group, Chicago, IL

A roasted turkey in a roasting pan on a table with autumnal decor, including squashes and garlic, suggesting a festive or holiday meal setting.

From Chef Grant Achatz of Michelin-starred Alinea, this recipe takes a hybrid two-step method to cooking your Thanksgiving turkey. First, start in a hot oven to jumpstart the Maillard reaction, which helps achieve perfectly browned skin, then drop the temperature down to cook the interior of the bird slowly the rest of the way through. This method achieves an even balance between breast and thigh, so you don’t have to pick through dry white meat in favor of juicier dark meat.

The herbed compound butter is inserted under the skin as well as slathered on top, which results in the bird being bathed with all the good things—fat, moisture, and flavor—as it roasts. You’ll be rewarded with a tender, juicy, and flavorful turkey that tastes restaurant-quality but is easy to achieve in a home kitchen, especially in our Carbon Steel Roasting Pan.

Southern-Style Stuffing with Gizzards and Gravy

By Chef Matt Horn, Horn Hospitality, Oakland, CA

A freshly baked tray of stuffing garnished with herbs on a tablecloth, accompanied by a bowl and a wooden spoon.

This blended approach to a Southern-Style stuffing makes use of both white French bread and homemade Southern-Style Cornbread, so it’s anything but dry or tasteless. Making use of both our 9x13 Baking Dish and Carbon Steel Frying Pan, this recipe can be assembled the day before, so you can keep it in the fridge in the Baking Dish overnight, then put it straight in the oven come Turkey Day. Don't forget to top it off with our killer recipe for Make-Ahead Gravy.

Albi’s Spicy Potatoes

By Chef Michael Rafidi, Albi, YELLOW, and La’Shukran, Washington, D.C.

A dish of roasted carrots arranged in a fish-shaped pattern served with lemon wedges in a white oval ceramic dish, garnished with herbs on a kitchen countertop.

Mashed potatoes is about as synonymous with Thanksgiving as you can get—but this year, why not try something a little different? This recipe from Chef Michael Rafidi of Albi utilizes thinly sliced potatoes, first confited in infused butter in the 9x13 Baking Dish, then deep fried to golden brown perfection in our Dutch Oven. With two kinds of Spanish paprika for a kick paired with labne to help cool things off, it’s an unexpected—but absolutely delicious—way to use potatoes this Thanksgiving.

Fennel Panzanella Salad

By Chef Karen Akunowicz, Fox & The Knife and Bar Volpe, Boston, MA

A bowl of leafy salad with croutons, slices of red onion, fresh herbs, and pomegranate seeds, served with a pair of salad servers on a tabletop with a terracotta cloth.

Thanksgiving tends to lean beige—between the turkey, gravy, and accompanying starches, a pop of color can be desperately needed. This recipe from Boston-based Chef Karen Akunowicz’s new cookbook “Crave: Bold Recipes That Make You Want Seconds” provides some much-needed color without compromising on taste. It’s verdant, zesty, fresh, and exactly what you need between heavier holiday dishes—not to mention an absolutely stunning centerpiece in our English-made Serving Bowl.

Chocolate Rye Pecan Pie

By Chef Amanda Rockman, New Waterloo, Austin, TX

A freshly baked pie with a decorative crust and piped cream on top, served on a table with a plate and a knife on the side.

The pecan pie to end all pecan pies comes to us from “recovering pastry chef” Amanda Rockman. There is no flaky pie crust here, instead a dough that’s much more like a chocolate shortbread cookie. The filling is nuanced and complex, with hints of rye whiskey and puddles of dark chocolate—a far cry from the standard saccharine pecan pie. To top it all off, smoked (yes, smoked) vanilla whipped cream is piped on top of the pie with a gentle dusting of more chocolate. Served at last in our Pie Dish, this pie is a project, but totally worth the effort.

Autumn Spritz Cocktail

By Beverage Director Andy Miller, Great White and Gran Blanco, Venice, CA

A wine glass filled with a dark liquid, garnished with an orange slice, against a warm textured background, with cut orange segments on a wooden board nearby.

Instead of opting for either sangria or mulled wine this holiday season, Chef Andy Miller thinks you can—and should—have both. This autumnal cocktail features a spiced simple syrup that pairs perfectly with gentian-driven Amarao, while sherry rounds it out with a dry finish and nutty, herbaceous aromatics. Serve in our White Wine Glass with plenty of ice, a cinnamon stick, and orange wedge for garnish.

Ready to Cook?

Whether you follow the menu to the letter or pick and choose, we hope you’ll find a new recipe (or two) to become a new family tradition. From our table to yours, happy Thanksgiving!