savory sunday // mashed potatoes and gravy

But of *course* I'm gonna save my amazing mashed potato recipe for Thanksgiving week! Now, I don't think mashed potatoes are ever really bad... ok, sometimes. But it's rare. But these are my very favorite way to make them, and my guests always rave, so I thought you might want to try it.What you'll need:• Yukon gold potatoes. For this batch (which makes about 8 servings) I used six medium potatoes• Fresh chives• Sour cream (about 2 tbsp)• Butter (about 1/2 stick)• Milk (which I forgot to picture!). I used 1/4 cup, but you can vary this depending on how creamy you like your potatoes• Salt and pepper to taste First, fill a large pot with water and heat it to boil. While waiting on the boil, quarter your potatoes. Once ready, cook in the water for about 15 minutes or until soft when a fork is inserted.Next, add in the milk and butter and stir until butter melts. Then add in the sour cream and chives (I use about 1/3 of the package and I cut them with scissors -- way easier than with a knife) and mash everything together.I use an old-fashioned masher because I like my potatoes kinda chunky. Also, salt and pepper to taste.So there you go! If you just want mashed potatoes, you're done. BUT WHO WANTS PLAIN MASHED POTATOES?? Actually, I think these are good enough that they are divine plain. But lets be real. You need gravy.People also always rave about my gravy which is hilarious because it's all packaged goods. But here you go!I am religious about the Knorr turkey gravy mix. However, the instructions say to mix it with water and bring to a boil and simmer until thickened and you're done. How boring!So instead of mixing with water, I use turkey stock to make it richer and I also add in the bits from the bottom of the turkey pan (the fatty goodness). Then I also add in about 3 glugs of wine. That's a measurement, right? Glugs? Well you know what I mean. And that takes it to a whole new level and it makes your gravy taste home made. Ha! Let's go fool them all!So there you have it! Go enjoy! And no calorie counts on Thanksgiving. That's blasphemy.Oh! But for your internet share of the day, here is the modern guide to Thanksgiving from Bon Appetit. This is truly full of some wonderful tips. Like this one:

Invite at least one non-family member to ensure that everyone is on their best behavior, help temper tensions, and extend the bread and salt of welcome to neighbors and friends. It’s especially fun to ask those, like the British, for whom Thanksgiving is a curious novelty.