SHEET-PAN PLAN
InAmerica, unity has always seemed precarious, a myth as tempting as the oft-repeated fable of the first Thanksgiving. But there’s nothing false about giving thanks. In a year marked by a pandemic and innumerable losses, food is a salve we can count on. Rooted in indigenous ingredients and comforting classics, a Thanksgiving meal is a reminder to be grateful for our intertwined histories as we imagine a more equitable future.
This time around, large gatherings, with family members flying in from across the country or driving from several states away, will be replaced by smaller affairs. Some people may celebrate solo, others with family or roommates they’ve shared quarters with for months. Perhaps there will be an outdoor cocktail hour with neighbors, if the weather permits, or dessert around a fire pit.
There will be lots of phone calls, FaceTime and Zoom rooms. It may be another opportunity for meaningful conversations, uncomfortable or not. We may feel our losses more acutely, but we can be thankful for our memories of holidays past and the relationships we have with family, blood or chosen.
When we realized all the ways the pandemic would affect our holiday celebrations, our colleague Olga Massov suggested we offer readers a slate of Thanksgiving recipes made on sheet pans. Since we’re already cooking so often, a sheetpan dinner can streamline the traditional, laborious, multicourse meal without sacrificing any of its comforting flavors.
Though all of these dinners are designed to be a whole meal for at least four, they’re easily stretched. Serve with your favorite cranberry sauce, fluffy rolls or green salad. Make an extra side of cornbread pudding, butternut squash or over-the-top macaroni and cheese. And whatever you do, don’t forget the pie.