Even if you don’t smoke weed, it’s easy to see why Thanksgiving is a great holiday for people who like marijuana.
Yes, sitting at a big table with your entire extended family can make even the chillest dudes a little paranoid, but the key is just to keep telling yourself that everyone has no idea because already drunk on red wine and you’ll be in the clear. Now nothing (besides a belt) can keep you from enjoying extremely generous portions of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.
If you’re hosting your own party this year with friends (and even family) and you want to experiment a little by incorporating marijuana into your recipes, then you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled a short list of five easy-to-make sides that all have weed in them.
Truth be told, making a roasted turkey properly is hard enough so we figured it would be best if we just stick to side dishes.
Important: If you haven’t made your cannabutter yet, stop what you’re doing and read this awesome guide on how to make it. You’re going to need about an ounce or an ounce and half. Don’t worry–it doesn’t need to be the greatest strain. You’re really going to need the volume though.
Ganja Gravy
INGREDIENTS:
Turkey, chicken or vegetable stock
6 Tbsp cannabutter
2 large onions, sliced thin
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup balsamic vinegar
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Large skillet
Pan you used for turkey
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet, melt canabutter over medium-high heat
2. Add sliced onions and sauté 10 minutes
3. Add rosemary and sage and sauté for 10 minutes
4. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute
5. Gradually whisk in stock and boil until gravy thickens, stirring frequently
6. In the pan that you baked the turkey in, pour the juices from pan into a large cup or bowl and spoon off fat. Add juices to the gravy.
7. Add vinegar to roasting pan. Bring vinegar to simmer over medium heat, scraping up browned bits. Pour mixture into heavy small saucepan.
8. Boil for about 3 minutes and add to gravy.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Optional: If you are not cooking the turkey or are using the juices for a non-medicinal gravy, simply add the vinegar to the gravy and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Roasted Garlic And Mary-Jane Mashed Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
5 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
2 heads of garlic (I love garlic!)
1/2 cup of cannabutter mixed with 1 cup virgin butter, room temperature
5 ounces Romano cheese, grated
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Large pot
Aluminum foil
Potato masher and/or mixer
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cover quartered potatoes with 1” of cold water in a large pot. Cook on high until tender but still firm, approximately 45 minutes.
3. While potatoes are cooking, slice top portion off of heads of garlic and remove excess papery skin.
4. Drizzle garlic with olive oil.
5. Wrap garlic tightly in foil and bake for 35 minutes.
6. Let garlic cool slightly then press on the bottom of the garlic clove to push it out of its paper. Set mushy cloves aside.
7. Drain the potatoes.
8. Stir in butter, cheese, roasted garlic, salt and oregano.
9. Mash with a potato masher or mixer.
Cornbread Puffins
Ingredients
1/2 cup cannabutter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn
One 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
12 Muffin Cups
Large Bowl
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Grease or line 12 muffin cups.
3. In a large bowl, mix together cannabutter, sugar, honey, eggs and salt.
4. Mix in flour, cornmeal and baking powder.
5. Stir in milk, corn, green chile peppers and cheddar cheese.
6. Pour or spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
Sourdough Stuffing
INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons Cannabis Butter, melted (click for recipe)
5 1/4 cups day-old sourdough bread, cubed
1 pound sage pork sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped (optional)
1 3/4 cup Turkey Stock (can substitute store-bought chicken stock
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Large baking sheet
Large skillet
Large bowl
Large casserole dish (13 × 9 x 2 works well)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until evenly toasted. Transfer cubes to a large bowl.
3. In a large skillet, brown the sausage and onions over medium heat, breaking up any lumps.
4. Add celery, sage, rosemary and thyme to pan; continue cooking for a few minutes to blend flavors
5. Pour sausage mixture over bread in the bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver.
6. Put stuffing mixture into a lightly oiled casserole dish.
7. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter.
8. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, covered; then 15 minutes uncovered. Serve.
Greenbean Hasherrole with Fried Onions
INGREDIENTS
For the casserole
2 pounds of green beans, trimmed and halved
6 tablespoons of Cannabis Butter (click for recipe)
1 pound mushrooms (your choice of variety — button or shiitake work well)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon soy sauce
For the onion topping
1/2 onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced thin
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons Cannabis Butter
Salt to taste
Equipment
Large sauté pan
Large pot
Slotted spoon
Large casserole dish
DIRECTIONS
For the casserole
1.Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook beans until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain the beans and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Pat dry. (This step can be done a day in advance. Just refrigerate the beans until ready to use)
3.Melt Cannabis Butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.Sprinkle in the flour and stir — careful not to let the flour burn — for about 1-2 minutes.
5.Add salt and pepper.
6.Whisk in the milk and soy sauce and scrape bits off the bottom of the pan to incorporate. Bring to a simmer and continue to whisk and cook until the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).
7.Mix the sauce with the prepared green beans and scoop mixture into a casserole dish.
8.Bake in the oven until bubbly — about 15 minutes.
9.Remove from oven and top with fried onions (directions below). Serve.
For the Fried Onion Topping
1.While the casserole is baking, put flour in a re-sealable plastic bag.
2.Add onion slices to bag and shake until evenly coated with flour.
3.Melt the canna-butter for the topping in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
4.Shake excess flour from onion pieces before adding them to the pan.
5.Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown (they cook quickly, so keep an eye on them). Don’t crowd the onions in the pan. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this step in batches.
6.Using a slotted spoon, place cooked onions on a paper towel lined plate and season with salt. Set aside for topping casserole. (The onions can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored in an air-tight container lined with paper towels at room temperature).
