Martha Stewart, I am not. Takeout and premade meals from Graul’s are my lifeblood. I once wrote “cooking is for suckers” in a headline about Thanksgiving. So this week’s column, which encourages readers to cook Thanksgiving sides from Baltimore restaurants, might confuse some.
Chefs at some of my favorite Baltimore restaurants — Dutch Courage, Little Donna’s, Rooted Rotisserie and Foraged — shared with Baltimore Banner readers the recipes for some of their most beloved dishes. And then I made them.
Well, I helped.
The Banner has some talented cooks on staff: Editor-in-Chief Kimi Yoshino and politics reporter Emily Opilo among them. They are home cooks who embrace a challenge, who keep high-tech gadgets like mandolines and thermometers in their cabinets and jot memos on recipes they’ve tackled in the past. They took the lead in the kitchen, while I took notes.
And then we ate. I can confirm that each one of these dishes is a testament to the inventiveness and skills of our local chefs. Bring one of these, and you’ll be the hero of your Thanksgiving party. Make all four, and you’re close to immortality.
Dutch Courage: Brussels sprout salad
Crunchy raw Brussels sprouts and bitter radicchio form a no-fail base for any fall salad. This version from Dutch Courage chef Pete Davis gets a decadent touch from rich blue cheese and pancetta.
Little Donna’s: Sausage and sauerkraut
Baltimoreans need to have sauerkraut on Thanksgiving, and I am confident that no one does it better than Little Donna’s. Chef Robbie Tutlewski sent it with a warning: “We have been kicked out of many parties for this recipe. As soon as we walk in, the whole house reeks of smoked meat and kraut. People either love it or hate it.”
Rooted Rotisserie: Macaroni and cheese
This rich and creamy macaroni and cheese appetizer from Rooted Rotisserie is a tribute to James Hemings, the French-trained personal chef of Thomas Jefferson who is often credited with bringing the dish to the United States. This recipe for trois fromage, as the menu labels it, calls for a whopping four-plus pounds total of shredded cheese.
Foraged: Mushroom stew
James Beard semifinalist Chris Amendola sent his oft-requested recipe for mushroom stew, a hallmark of his Station North restaurant, with the following caveat: “It’s a pretty modified version as no one is going to take the time to do what we do at home.”
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