Restaurant Style Dinner at Home.

As a restaurant chef I will always encourage people to support their local restaurants, cafe's and coffee shops, but the current state of the world has some people on edge and they are embracing time at home. Many people are learning and honing new skills, all be it learning to bake bread, cooking, gardening, home schooling. So this dinner that I am sharing is for your basic dinner night at home amped up. It is basic ingredients with a added bit of effort.

Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Turkey Roulade with Cider Glaze, served along with Parmesan Potato Gratin and Sautéed Brussel Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses (brussel sprouts not pictured here, but follow along to see how there made).

I made this for dinner and I didn't snap a photo of our plates, so plated it up later but the brussel sprouts were so good we ate them all! This dinner is also great to serve to guests because a roulade always looks like something you put the extra effort into, but it's actually very simple.

Potato gratin is very few ingredients and is a classic French way of preparing potatoes, the only time consuming aspect is slicing all those potatoes nice a thin. In the restaurant I was always asked how to make these and I would give out the ingredients and no one believed me that it could be so simple. Some guests would then relay to me they gave it a whirl, and it wasn't the same. Maybe it's in the method. So check out the recipe and method in the recipe tab.

This is a bit simpler and more "rustic" than what I would do in a restaurant, but perfect for home. If you want to go the extra mile you can peel the potatoes. I think all the little steps along the way will bring out success. It is important to use a starchy potato that will help thicken and set the cream so you don't have potato soup. This dish has all the good things garlic, herbs, cream, cheese and of course potatoes. It's important that the garlic is chopped fine and you strip just the leaves from the thyme, and you have even and thin slices of potato. Thin even slices of potato can be achieved by using a mandolin or a steady hand with a sharp knife. The mandolin makes for quicker work. A slicing blade on a food processor could work as well as long it slices the potatoes fairly thin. Then everything gets mixed together and add the potatoes and start layering into a greased pan, try not to leave gaps and have each layer be as even as possible. Bake it to a bubbly golden brown.

Turkey is always something people think of this time of year and this is a way to use it in a different way than your traditional turkey dinner or turkey burgers. I used turkey tenderloins because that what was available but you can use one lobe of a turkey breast. Either way it has to be butterflied open and pounded out just so the meat is a even in thickness as possible. Then it's time to bring on the flavor with garlic herb butter and sautéed mushrooms and spinach. I got some good color on the mushrooms and then added the spinach and put a lid on top to wilt the spinach quickly. I used it right away, it can be refrigerated. I placed the turkey on a large sheet of plastic to assist in the rolling then added the all the good stuff. Using the plastic wrap it helps achieve a nice tight roll and keeps everything inside. Then I rolled it up in foil and placed it a deep pan and added water to keep everything moist while it is in the oven.

While the turkey is tucked away in the oven, you can make a super tasty easy glaze/sauce by just reducing apple cider with a thyme sprig and a touch of brown sugar. As the turkey gets closer it's a great time to prepare the brussel sprouts; super fast, super easy. The last step I took was to brown the turkey roulade which is not mandatory the turkey is completely cooked but adds a layer of flavor. I poured in the glaze after browning the turkey on all sides and this just made it.

If your having a small Thanksgiving this year this may be just the ticket. It feels special like your traditional turkey dinner for the holiday and you get all the fall flavors. All the recipes can be found in the recipe tab.