For a crowd of up to 12 people, try a small turkey, here rubbed with fennel seed and smoked paprika.
I grew up with six sisters and a brother, so it never occurred to me that Thanksgiving dinner could be for fewer than 20 people. Only later on, when I moved across the country and got married, did my favorite food holiday turn into an affair for two—or maybe four.
Smaller turkeys are easier to cook than 25-pound behemoths, and their meat is more likely to stay moist while the skin crisps up nicely. In fact, even if you’re cooking for a large group, you’re better off roasting two medium turkeys than the biggest turkey you can find. My first “small” Thanksgiving turkey was about 18 pounds—much smaller than my mother’s usual 25-pound monsters—but obviously way too big for two, even counting leftovers. By our second Thanksgiving together, my wife and I were down to a 12-pound bird, which is the turkey size I stick to when I don’t have many people coming over. One of my current favorites is a 12-pound turkey rubbed with smoked paprika and toasted fennel seeds, then roasted over a bed of onions, which become the base of a flavorful gravy.
But there are other delicious options for a soul-satisfying turkey supper for small groups. If you’re having only a couple of people over, my Dried Apricot & Date Stuffed Turkey Breast with Marsala Glaze is a perfect solution; it feels special, keeps with the turkey tradition, and cooks quickly. . And if your gathering grows to six, try roasting a large chicken brushed with cranberry-honey glaze during the last half hour of roasting. The sugar in the honey and the red color from the cranberries help the chicken brown to a beautiful burnished glow, and the slightly sweet skin is a nice complement to the juicy chicken meat.
