Anatomy of a Tyler Florence Thanksgiving Feast

TV chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Tyler Florence is taking over the blog today, just in time for Thanksgiving! Tune in all day for recipes, tips and Thanksgiving advice galore from one of America’s most beloved chefs. Here, we break down Tyler Florence’s absolutely favorite. 

Tyler Florence has plenty of recipes and cooking tips to get you through Thanksgiving. But for the ultimate Tyler Florence fan, it wouldn’t be turkey day without his Thanksgiving Dinner. It’s filled with his absolute favorite comfort foods—think stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pie—and each boasts an inventive new twist. “This is my fresh take on Thanksgiving classics,” Tyler tells us. Here, he shares the play-by-play of his essentials.

Spatchcocked Free-Range Turkey: “I like to spatchcock my turkey, or remove the backbone, which increases the bird’s surface area and allows the turkey to cook much faster while staying unbelievably moist and tender,” Tyler explains. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can ask your butcher to spatchcock your turkey for you.

Sausage stuffing: The chef, who owns a restaurant in San Francisco, Wayfare Tavern, and lives nearby, loves to give his stuffing a local spin by using classic San Francisco sourdough bread cubes. “This is a stuffing that can stand alone, the fresh herbs and sausage will knock your socks off,” he says. Given that we’ve made this stuffing before, we can attest: It’s so good, it’ll steal the Thanksgiving turkey’s thunder.

Green Bean Poutine: Why have green bean casserole when you can have green bean poutine? Unlike the traditional, Tyler’s irreverent version of green beans is modeled after poutine—the French Canadian staple of fries, cheese curds, and gravy—and includes the creamy element of melted mozzarella along with a crispy shallot topping. “I was in the test kitchen playing around with the idea of green been casserole when the light bulb turned on,” he explains. “It’s one of those dishes I just knew was going to work.”

Roasted Vegetable Gravy: “I like adding roasted vegetables to the gravy because of the depth of flavor it brings,” Tyler says. A medley of roasted carrots, celery, onion, and butternut squash add a velvety, creamy texture and layers of flavor.

Chive Mashed Potatoes: Yellow-fleshed Yukon Gold potatoes are perfect for mashing and boast a buttery, sweet taste. Tyler adds fresh buttermilk for a bright yet rich flavor, and chives for the slightest bite.

Cranberry Terrine: Tyler wanted to remake the classic cylinder-shaped cranberry mold that’s graced Thanksgiving tables across America for generations. Instead, his delicious, homemade version, which is slow simmered with diced pineapple and a hint of black pepper for intrigue, is molded in a rectangular terrine for an unexpected presentation.

Chocolate Pecan Pie: Every holiday, Tyler’s entire family goes crazy for this chocolate pecan pie. Tyler’s recipe, which we offer baked by Sweetie-licious Bakery Café in DeWitt, Michigan, makes Tyler’s recipe using premium TCHO dark chocolate, a dash of bourbon, and plenty of pecan pieces studded throughout (including the crust!).

What are your Thanksgiving essentials? Share them with us in the comments below, or on social media using the hashtag #WSThanksgiving.