Thanksgiving is a time to sit down and give thanks for our great country, our family, and good food. To truly appreciate this spectacular holiday one has to participate in the traditions of Turkey Day. Between visiting family, watching football, and preparing the gigantic feast, there is a lot to do. One particular tradition that comes to mind is enjoying the turkey with the various sides. An expert on this subject is Coach Derkits. If you don’t know Coach D, he is the eighth grade P.E. teacher and unofficial Gordon Ramsay here at Chaminade. He sat down with me to discuss the keys to a successful Thanksgiving meal. 

As fall is right around the corner, I can’t help but start thinking about Thanksgiving food. As a man of many tastes, what is your go-to Thanksgiving food to make?

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because of the focus on being with family, watching football, and of course copious amounts of food!  Over the last few years I have been in charge of making the smoked turkey and several other sides, but one of my favorites is my mom’s dressing.

What makes this food so tasty? Who inspired you to conjure up these skillets?

Almost all of my cooking talent and food love has come from my mom’s cooking.  I do my best to replicate her dishes as close as possible to the original, but it is never quite the same. I would say that she taught me to follow a recipe but also taste and adjust flavors as you go.  Also, the amount of butter added to each dish certainly doesn’t hurt. 

As the unofficial food connoisseur at Chaminade, what is the Coach D flair you add to this food?

In my cooking I like to add as many layers of flavors as possible.  For example, instead of just doing a basic turkey preparation, I like to spatchcock, inject, dry-brine, and smoke my turkey.  This ensures that the turkey is well seasoned, smoky, and evenly cooked.

What is the best side dish to go with this Thanksgiving skillet?

My mom’s dressing is certainly my favorite but you can’t sleep on mashed taters, cranberry sauce (homemade and canned), and them sweet Hawaiian rolls.

Along with inspiration from your mom’s cooking, are there any other sources you use for the meal?

At this point, I loosely use written recipes and cook from experience.

Thanks for your time! I hope you keep on making that delicious feast!