An age-old question. Wish I had the answer. It just depends on a lot of different factors.
It is an amazingly labor intensive day. I have a couple of jalapeño poppers while I am cooking, usually drinking bloody Marys or Sherry. Everyone else may eat turkey to their hearts’ content. I am satisfied with a spoonful of horseradish mashed potatoes, blanched green beans, and a spoonful of dressing with vegetarian mushroom fake giblet gravy. Oh, and wine. The rolls, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are for grazing the next day.
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Good thing I don’t drink … I’d pass out from being tired + the alcohol! Very little tolerance. I do use it for cooking!
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I’ve used a cooler (covered) to defrost the turkey over 4 days in the unheated garage. Also used the cooler for a 2 day brine on a fresh turkey. Never any problems. I also have stored sides that needed refrigeration that way, too. 2 L bottles of frozen ice if needed.
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For ‘medicinal use’ only.
I would not have thought to check WoL for gravy, but here we are. And since I’ll be sponsible for the gravy, I might as well start looking at ish.
The biggest challenge of a gravy à la minute, so to speak, was separating the fat. And yeah, I had one of those alleged separators. Meh.
Ve shall ßee.
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And I am DEF, 100% not making this.
No doubt we have some sweet potato lovers who love their sweet potatoes (allegedly) not that sweet 
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As a sweet potato lover I never understood these dishes. There’s savory with a sweet edge – the kind of sweet potato thing I like – and then there’s dessert masquerading as a side dish…
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I had never tried the sweet potato with marshmallows until maybe 3 years ago. It was a novelty for me.
I can see why some people like it. I would eat it if someone served it or brought it to a potluck. I think, although it’s a side dish, most people eating it realize the nutritional value is a dessert value. Same with any fluffy jello cool whip salad or pudding-based salad. They are sides some people would consider dessert.
The sweet sides made with marshmallows are also usually treats for anyone going through the effort to make them.
I love reading about this stuff.
I grew up with sweet potatoes topped with nuts and brown sugar and usually some orange juice each Thanksgiving.
I make a version without the orange juice now, or just roasted, sometimes with some maple syrup.
A lot of Prairie holiday food is similar to some of the sweet sides served in the Midwest and in the South.
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I absolutely despise marshmallows, and to me, anything that cloyingly sweet has no business in a savory side dish.
Obvz there’s folks who love that stuff.
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What did some fluffy sugar do to deserve this???
I seem to recall having a version of that one with the marshmallow s, but my kids grew up on “Orange-Flavored Sweet Potatoes with Oatmeal Cookie Topping” from a 1994 Gourmet mag. Not quite as sweet, but small portions recommended.
ETA with regard to “why?”, I found the linked NYT explanation of the recipe helpful.
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Legions of marshmallow lovers will comfort it to make up for my blind hatred 
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These sound sofa king good! Love the lemon/caper combo.
Although it’s beginning to look like we’re pivoting from the traditional turkey meal. @ernie_in_berkeley’s been posting about youvetsi, and I’m having a massive craving.
Then our friends would just bring apps and/or a salad.
Orange olive oil cake and biscoff ice cream will still be for dessert, however.
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Sweet potato marshmallow pie sounds cringe worthy to me. I will try eating most things once but I’m not even willing to try this one. Marshmallows belong on top of my cocoa not mixed in with my veggies.
One of my friends, who lived in the US most of her adult life, has had sweet potato pie and she loves it. She says the marshmallows really make the dish 
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This root vegetable gratin “hasselback style” looks pretty with all the colors.
Though I think I would skip beets for a group, maybe mostly potatoes and a couple of colorful sweet potatoes for a visual pop.
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A few Fulbright grantees were throwing a Thxgiving meal back in the last century and invited me to join them. One of them knew I despite sweet potatoes and made a sweet potato pie, claiming it was pumpkin (which I also don’t really care for).
It was alright. They’re certainly better as pie than as a side.
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And then there’s that the pumpkin in pumpkin pie is probably Hubbard squash. I think it is just vile when people cook things for you with full knowledge that you detest them.
