Sarah Josepha Hale's Thanksgiving Table

An American Thanksgiving Visionary

On today’s episode of Kaz Cooks History I am cooking the full Thanksgiving spread that Sarah Josepha Hale championed: roast turkey with sausage stuffing, pan gravy, honey roasted carrots, buttered turnips, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie for dessert. Hale, born in New Hampshire in 1788, grew up with local thanks-giving gatherings before stepping into the national spotlight with her novel Northwood and her four decades editing Godey’s Lady’s Book. From that editorial perch she wrote recipes, menus, and persuasive letters urging presidents and governors to fix a single national Thanksgiving. Her 1863 appeal to Abraham Lincoln is often credited with nudging him toward the proclamation that made the holiday official. Every plate we build today is part of the domestic ritual she popularised.

Stuffing Hale’s Way

Hale’s 1857 Mrs. Hale’s New Cook Book calls for pork sausage, bread, and a beaten egg. I am keeping that framework with just enough seasoning to let the stuffing hold together without turning dense.

• Stuffing ingredients: 250 g day-old bread, 450 g pork sausages (or less if the bird is small), 1 large egg, 1/2 small onion finely diced, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried sage, salt, pepper, and a splash of milk if needed.
• Dry the bread: Cube the bread, spread it on trays, and dry it in a 120C (250F) oven for 20 to 30 minutes until crisp but not browned. Cool completely, then crumble by hand into coarse crumbs.
• Mix the filling: Combine sausage meat, onion, egg, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Fold in the crumbs and work the mixture with your hands. Add milk if it feels chalky, or extra crumbs if it turns wet.

Roast Turkey and Pan Gravy

Hale emphasised restraint: a well dried bird, plenty of butter, and steady basting. I follow her method with a bed of vegetables to make the gravy base.

• Turkey setup: Pat a whole turkey dry inside and out. Season generously with salt. Loosely stuff both the neck and body cavities with the sausage mixture so the heat can circulate.
• Butter and truss: Rub softened butter over every surface, then truss the legs so the bird roasts evenly. Nestle the turkey on chopped onion, carrot, and celery in a roasting pan.
• Roast: Cook at 180C (355F) for roughly 3 to 4 hours, basting with melted butter and pan juices every 30 minutes. Hale wrote about the turkey wearing a “frost of the basting” and regular brushing gets you there.
• Rest: Transfer the turkey to a platter, tent it with foil, and rest for 20 to 30 minutes while you make the gravy.
• Pan gravy: Move the roasting pan to the hob. Add the reserved turkey neck and a knob of butter if the pan looks dry. Stir in 3 tbsp flour to make a roux with the drippings, then whisk in about 750 ml stock. Simmer until glossy, strain, and season. Hale recommended using giblets; I compromise with just the neck for gentle depth.

Roast Roots, Mash, and Bright Sides

Hale’s menus always balanced the heavy bird with seasonal vegetables and tangy pickles. Here are the supporting players.

• Honey roasted carrots: Toss 450 g carrots with olive oil, honey, salt, and black pepper. Roast at 220C (430F) for 15 to 25 minutes until tender and lightly browned, turning once. Finish with chopped parsley.
• Roast turnips: Coat 600 g turnips in 2 tsp olive oil, a pinch of ground sage, salt, and pepper. Roast at 220C (430F) for 30 to 35 minutes until soft, then toss with 2 tsp butter and adjust seasoning.
• Mashed potatoes: Boil peeled potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain, mash with butter and whole milk, season with salt and a little pepper, and keep warm.
• Sharp sides: Serve cranberry sauce, pickled onions, gherkins, and beetroot for the bright contrast Hale loved on the table.

Pumpkin Pie Custard

Pumpkin pie was the dessert Hale singled out for Thanksgiving. Her cookbooks describe stewing pumpkin, mixing it with milk until “thick as batter,” and baking it in a sturdy single crust.

• Crust: Rub cold butter into flour and salt until crumbly, then add cold water a tablespoon at a time until it just comes together. Press into a disc, chill for 30 minutes, roll slightly thicker than a fruit pie crust, and line a 9 inch dish. Chill while making the filling.
• Pumpkin filling: Cook 425 g canned pumpkin over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes to drive off moisture. Whisk 3 large eggs with 480 ml whole milk. Combine the pumpkin with 150 to 170 g sugar, 1 tbsp molasses, 1 to 2 tsp rose water (optional), 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, a pinch of cloves or allspice, and a pinch of salt. Stir in the milk mixture.
• Bake: Pour the custard into the chilled crust. Bake at 200C (390F) for 15 minutes, reduce to 180C (355F), and continue for 30 to 40 minutes until the edges are set and the centre barely wobbles. Cool completely before slicing.

Feast Day Timeline

Keeping the order straight makes the feast manageable.

1. Make the stuffing mix so it can cool while the turkey is prepped.
2. Stuff and truss the turkey, then get it into the 180C (355F) oven for a 3 to 4 hour roast.
3. Mix and chill the pie pastry, build the filling, and bake the pie about 90 minutes before the turkey finishes so it can cool.
4. Prep turnips, carrots, and potatoes so they are ready for staggered roasting and mashing.
5. Slide the turnips into the oven 15 minutes before the turkey is done; add the carrots 10 minutes later.
6. Once the turkey comes out to rest, boil the potatoes and finish the gravy in the roasting pan.
7. Lay out the pickles, cranberry sauce, and sides, carve the turkey, and serve.

Serving the Spread

When everything hits the island together, the platter could have stepped out of Hale’s pages: turkey carved over sausage stuffing, shimmering pan gravy, buttery mash, honey glazed carrots, roasted turnips, tart cranberry sauce, and a chilled pumpkin pie crowned with whipped cream. I am drinking ginger beer and apple cider alongside the plate, a temperance friendly pairing Hale recommended. Each bite tastes like her lifelong campaign to give the United States a shared November ritual of gratitude.