Hoagie stuffing, anyone? We made the most Philly Thanksgiving meal possible.
A pho-spiced turkey, birria tacos, cranberry water ice, and, of course, potatoes au Gritty.
![We made the most Philly Thanksgiving meal possible, new to the table this year is Potatoes au Gritty.](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/Y_kgsdBZXCQkCzOWIT-ZN2hjG4U=/760x507/smart/filters:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/LLA22TTOKJFCPAWCNOUWJ3O5QQ.gif)
Every year, Thanksgiving rolls around and the same classics get trotted out: turkey, potatoes, pie. But what if Thanksgiving this year got Philly-fied?
“Most Philly” is a slippery concept. It depends on whom you ask, particularly when it comes to food. Philly is famous for pretzels, hoagies, and water ice, of course, but to just focus on those ignores the vast diversity of the Philly food scene — we have incredible Mexican food, a next-level Southeast Asian market, and a thriving Ethiopian scene, just to name a few (for more on Philly’s thriving international cuisines, check out Craig LaBan’s Taste Philly newsletter).
Above all, Philly is a place that can really have fun. So in honor of the many faces of Philly, we developed a menu of delicious dishes that don’t take themselves too seriously — they’re tasty, wacky, and perfect to switch up the usual Thanksgiving routine.
The showstopper is the hoagie stuffing, which started as a joke and became my favorite dish out of the bunch — spicy from fried long hots and hot soppressata, tangy from pickled banana peppers, and sharp from the provolone. It’s so good that I’m going to make it for non-Thanksgiving occasions. I also included a dirtbag version that’s just a chopped up hoagie with a few ingredients, for a last-minute dish you can bring to a potluck or a Friendsgiving, or as a leftovers stunt.
You also might not be able to resist potatoes au Gritty, a twist on mashed potatoes that look like Gritty in all his chaotic orange glory, courtesy of Poi Dog sauce queen Kiki Aranita.
The pho-spiced turkey is inspired by the excellent Vietnamese spots around the city, like Gabriella’s Vietnam and Càphê Roasters. The turkey birria tacos, a perfect use for that leftover meat, are a tribute to the unctuous, spice-rich birria at Cantina la Martina and Mi Pueblito. And, obviously, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without dessert. We have two, both developed by wildly talented pastry chef Rachel Sherman: a salted caramel soft pretzel bread pudding, and a cranberry water ice. Don’t be surprised when your Thanksgiving guests clamor for seconds. And, Go Birds!
Hoagie Stuffing: Rittenhouse-Style
Hoagies and stuffing don’t usually have a lot in common, except that both require bread. But honestly, why don’t they? This dish takes all the best parts of a great hoagie — salty, umami deli meats, spicy banana peppers and long hots, savory oregano onions, sharp provolone — and turns it into a side dish that’ll steal the spotlight from the turkey. It’s great for Thanksgiving, but it would be just as welcome at a Super Bowl party. You can download the recipe here.
Hoagie Stuffing: Dirtbag-Style
White Castle, famously, has a stuffing recipe that uses its sliders as a main ingredient. Why not do the same thing with a hoagie? This version of hoagie stuffing requires little more than a leftover hoagie, a bag of chips (Herr’s, please), stock, eggs, and milk. The ending texture is closer to a breakfast strata than a sandwich, and it’ll transform your leftovers into a side dish worthy of bringing to any Thanksgiving gathering. You can download the recipe here.
Pho-Spiced Turkey
The complexity and flavor of classic Vietnamese pho comes from the broth, redolent of spices like cumin, coriander, and star anise. (The Philly Pho-natic is a nickname just ripe for plucking; call me Rob Thomson.) This turkey harnesses those same flavors and infuses them into the skin thanks to a long hangout in the fridge. Dry brining a turkey takes some time — at least leaving the bird overnight, and up to three days — but it pays off with shatteringly crispy skin and juicy meat. Butterflying the turkey also means that the bird roasts quickly, so you can use the oven for other things. You can download the recipe here.
Leftover Turkey Birria
After the dishes are cleared and the guests leave, you get one of the best parts of Thanksgiving: leftovers. That includes the bones, scraps, and carcass of the turkey, which make for rich, flavorful stock. Birria tacos, born in Jalisco, Mexico, and now beloved across the United States, come with a side of consommé, which is a more concentrated version of stock, sometimes clarified. It makes perfect sense to use that good turkey stock to make birria by infusing leftover turkey meat with an adobo full of chiles, onion, garlic, and spices. The inspiration from this recipe came from Claudette Zepeda, whose excellent birria recipe I once had the pleasure of helping test for Food & Wine. You can download the recipe here.
Potatoes au Gritty
These cheesy potatoes are a tribute to Philly’s most unhinged and beloved mascot, the Philadelphia Flyers’ orange monster, Gritty. Kiki Aranita, chef and proprietor of Poi Dog sauces, uses her Chili Peppah Water to give spice, flavor, and acid to the rich potatoes. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of a gratin, you can also make mashed potatoes (and yeah, the Chili Peppah Water is just as good in those) as the base of your mascot. Gritty’s luxurious orange fur is made of shredded cheddar, and his eyes are made of cheese and olives. Be as deranged as possible while styling and serving this — as Gritty might tell you, embrace chaos. You can download the recipe here.
Caramel Pretzel Bread Pudding
Pretzels are a staple of Philly house parties, and they’re also a perfect base for a bread pudding. The salty outsides pair perfectly with the caramel, and the slight tanginess from the pretzel dough is a nice contrast to the sweetness. You can download the recipe here.
Cranberry Water Ice
There might not be a more classic Philly dessert than water ice. This simple, balanced treat is a play on cranberry sauce, but the tangy-sweet flavor also makes it a great light dessert after all that turkey and stuffing. You can download the recipe here.