At Ampersand, there is nothing we love more than getting together with those that matter most to us and sharing a delicious meal. To celebrate Thanksgiving, we asked our team for their favorite Thanksgiving recipes, to share a bit of our favorite things with you. Be sure to let us know if you try any! 

Root Vegetable Au Gratin 

Ingredients 

 

• • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened 

 

• • 1-2  long sweet potatoes (about 2 inches thick), peeled 

 

• • 3-4 large parsnips, ends trimmed and peeled 

 

• • 3-5 small beets, peeled 

 

• • 14 tablespoons heavy cream, divided (whole milk is fine, but mixture won't thicken as much or be as creamy) 

 

• • 4 ounces grated Parmesan, divided 

 

• • 1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme, divided plus more for garnish 

 

• • 1 garlic clove, minced 

 

• • 1 ounce shredded gruyere 

 

• • salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions 

 

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Grease a 3 quart baking dish with butter. 

 

2. 2. Slice sweet potato, parsnips and beets into very thin rounds (using a mandoline is easiest) and transfer each vegetable to its own bowl. 

 

3. 3. Pour 4 tablespoons cream over each sweet potatoes and parsnips, and 2 tablespoons cream over beets. Top each bowl of sliced vegetables with ½ ounce grated Parmesan and 1 teaspoon minced thyme. Season each bowl generously with salt and pepper and toss together until all vegetable slices are well coated. 

 

4. 4. Pour remaining 1/4 cup cream into the bottom of a 3 quart (oval) baking dish and sprinkle with ½ ounce of Parmesan and minced garlic. 

 

5. 5. Grab a stack of sweet potatoes and line them standing up on a bias, at the top of the baking dish. Follow the sweet potato with a row of parsnips, followed by a row of beets. Repeat with the remaining sweet potatoes, parsnips and beets, creating 6 rows of root vegetables. 

 

6. 6. Season top of gratin with salt, pepper and sprinkle of remaining Parmesan. 

 

7. 7. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft. 

 

8. 8. Uncover gratin and top with shredded gruyere.  

 

9. 9. Place gratin back into oven, uncovered, and continue to bake for an additional 18 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender, cheese has melted and the top has lightly browned.  

 

10. 10. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves. Serve. 

Stuffing in a Bundt Pan 

 

• • Any favorite stuffing recipe 

 

• • Increase number of eggs used to 4 total 

 

• • Bake in greased and floured bundt pan according to recipe 

 

• • Result: Crispy edges all around! 

Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting 

INGREDIENTS 

 

• • 4 eggs 

 

• • 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar 

 

• • 1 cup vegetable oil 

 

• • (15 oz) can pumpkin 

 

• • 2 cups sifted all purpose flour 

 

• • 2 teaspoons baking powder 

 

• • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

 

• • 1 teaspoon salt 

 

• • 1 teaspoon baking soda 

 

• • (8 oz) package softened cream cheese 

 

• • 1/2 cup softened (or margarine) butter 

 

• • 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar 

 

• • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

INSTRUCTIONS  

 

• • Preheat the oven to 350 °F. 

 

• • Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. 

 

• • Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. 

 

• • Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. 

 

• • Spread the batter into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. 

 

• • Let cool completely before frosting. 

 

• • Cut into bars. 

 

• • To make the icing: 

 

• • Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. 

 

• • Spread on cooled pumpkin bars. 

Turkey Marinade 

This recipe calls for simple ingredients that you may already have on hand. 

 

• • Olive Oil: This forms the base of the marinade. Any type of olive oil will work just fine, although I typically use extra virgin olive oil. 

 

• • Soy Sauce: While soy sauce may seem like an unusual thing to add to turkey, it adds a complex, savory flavor, along with some needed salt. 

 

• • Citrus Juice: I use a combination of both lemon and orange juice, and fresh squeezed juices are best. 

 

• • Citrus Zest: Use a microplane or grater to remove the zest from one orange and one lemon. 

 

• • Herbs: I use an assortment of fresh herbs including chives, sage, parsley and thyme. While fresh herbs have the best flavor, in a pinch you can substitute 1/3 of the amount of dried herbs. 

 

• • Garlic: Add a generous amount of freshly minced garlic to accentuate the flavor of the turkey. 

 

• • Spices: I add salt, pepper, smoked paprika and sweet paprika to finish off the marinade. 

Let the turkey sit in the marinade until you are ready to cook it. (minimum 24 hours) 

Bacon Brussels Sprouts 

INGREDIENTS 

 

• • 1 large bag of brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved 

 

• • 1 bunch of spinach, cleaned and trimmed 

 

• • 1 lb bacon, diced into lardons 

 

• • 4 cloves garlic, minced 

 

• • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

 

• • Salt and Pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS 

 

1. 1. In a large pan with cover, over medium high heat, cook bacon pieces uncovered until crispy. Transfer to paper towel lined dish to cool.  

 

2. 2. In that same pan over medium high heat, sauté brussels sprouts in bacon fat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until steamed, approximately 10 minutes.  

 

3. 3. Add minced garlic and spinach, salt and pepper, cover and sautee for approximately 5 minutes.  

 

4. 4. Turn down heat and de-glaze pan with balsamic vinegar, stirring. 

 

5. 5. Salt and pepper to taste. 

 

6. 6. Add in bacon pieces, stir and serve! 

Loaded Potato Casserole  

INGREDIENTS 

 

• • 1lb of Bacon 

 

• • 1 bag of shredded cheddar jack cheese 

 

• • Green Onion 

 

• • Potatoes (whatever kind you prefer) 

INSTRUCTIONS 

 

• • Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish 

 

• • Cut potatoes into small pieces. Cook the bacon while doing this. 

 

• • Put potatoes in the bottom of the casserole dish. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder 

 

• • Top with the shredded cheese and bacon 

 

• • Cook for 15-20 minutes in the oven. 

 

• • Add green onion on top and serve! 

Doctored Stove Top (multiply recipe based on mouths to feed) 

INGREDIENTS 

 

• • Stove Top Stuffing, 1 box 

 

• • Chicken or turkey broth/stock, 1.5 C 

 

• • Quantities for following based on personal preference: 

 

• • Turkey giblets  

 

• • Celery 

 

• • Onion 

 

• • Sausage, pork  

 

• • Oysters, smoked (optional) 

 

• • Turkey neck meat, cooked (optional) 

 

• • Butter, 1-2T cubed 

INSTRUCTIONS 

Make stuffing according to instructions on box, BUT… replace water with either chicken or turkey broth. Meanwhile, simmer giblets until tender (use extra broth instead of water if you have it). Brown sausage in pan and remove. Add onions, celery, and giblets to same pan and sauté until desired. There should be enough fat from sausage to cook veggies but add a little oil if not enough fat. 

Butter baking dish. Combine sausage, giblets, vegetables and stuffing and spread into dish. Scatter 4-6 cubes on top of stuffing and bake at 375-400 degrees for about 30 minutes until top has somewhat of a crust (if you don’t like that, bake at lower temp).