super fast easy last minute Thanksgiving gems

A friend told me my recipes as easy and fast as I think they are seem to be too complex and time consuming for her. She wants in and out of the kitchen in minutes. So here is just about the fastest easiest way I know to put an All-American dish on the Thanksgiving table:

And BTW on the corn pudding in the last post, if you don't have fresh corn, use two boxes of frozen or 3 cans. You need between 3-4 cups.

CORN AND BEANS, AKA SUCCOTASH
Serves 4-6 (double for a bigger party)

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp corn oil
2 cans of corn kernels, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 Poblano pepper
1 red pepper, bell or Fresno or similar
1 sm red onion, diced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground sage
1 tsp dried oregano
wedge of fresh lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

If you have time to roast the red and green pepper (12-15 min at 425º) go for it. If you can't, no worries.
Dice the raw or roasted pepper into bite-sized pieces.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter into the oil over med heat. Add the diced onion, stir to coat it and cook over med heat 3-5 minutes until it's soft. Throw in everything else, stir to blend and add 1-2 tbsp water so nothing burns. Put a lid on the pot, lower heat to simmer and cook until everything is hot--3-5 minutes. To serve, remove the lime, check for salt and adjust if necessary. You can garnish this is you want with chopped fresh cilantro leaves or sage.

This is one of the simple fancy dishes I am making, from my book Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking:
POTATO RUTABAGA GRATIN
Serves 6-8

1 tbsp olive oil (you can use butter if you prefer)

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 c heavy cream

½ tsp salt

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp dried rosemary leaves

1 star anise, crushed (if you don’t have star anise, substitute ½ tsp dried tarragon or 1/8 tsp ground cloves)

1 ¼ lb baking potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin disks

1 large rutabaga (1lb), peeled and sliced into thin disks

1 large leek, sliced into thin disks and washed

½ lb. Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375º and get out a baking dish approximately 11” x 7”. 

Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan.  Add the garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat 3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.  Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Stir in the cream.

Spread the leeks evenly around the bottom of the baking dish. Don’t worry if there are gaps, just be sure they are uniform.  Cover the leeks with a layer of potatoes (half the potatoes). Sprinkle the rosemary over the potatoes, then sprinkle ½ cup of cheese. Add a layer of rutabaga, using half of what you have. Sprinkle the crushed star anise around this layer and then ½ cup cheese too. Repeat a layer of potatoes and cheese, then a layer of rutabaga. Pour the creamy onion mixture over everything as evenly as you can and bake for 30 minutes in convection or 35 minutes in a regular oven.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and continue to bake another 12-15 minutes, or until the rutabaga is tender and the cream seems to be solid.

Remove from the oven and let it cool 5 minutes before serving.  You can sparingly add freshly chopped flat leaf parsley for color if you wish.