It’s high time readers of The Splattered Silver Palate met Dave. Whether you’re preparing the Thanksgiving feast or a Sunday night supper, he’s the one to have in the kitchen next to you.

A former university professor and a man with seemingly endless interests, Dave takes a  laissez-faire approach to cooking. Recipes are guidelines more than instructions. Forgetting an ingredient here or there is hardly the end of the world. And making a mess is all part of the fun. He, like one of our favorites Julia Child, puts much more stock in making cooking an enjoyable experience rather than one regulated by technique and    focused on the pursuit of perfection.

Lucky for me, he’s also my uncle.

We grew up going to Dave and my mom’s sister Katy’s house in Virginia for Thanksgiving. At the time, they had a house in Wintergreen, nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains, with a long, less then well-paved, driveway. Even before I put on an apron and joined Dave in the kitchen, I remember him working away from the earliest hours of the morning to prepare a spread that routinely featured a marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole. In these snapshots, he is sporting the yellow apron dotted with red and green chili peppers he wears when we cook together now, more than 20 years later.

In lieu of spending Thanksgiving together this year, we decided to have a dress rehearsal of sorts with an excessive number of sides in varying shades of white, brown and orange. We weren’t going to serve anything that hadn’t been sautéed, puréed, baked or broiled. The amount of Swiss chard Dave bought might have had you thinking we subsisted on dark leafy greens alone. But you would be wrong; all that health food cooked down to nearly nothing in a cheesy béchamel-spiked gratin.

It was the Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard Gratin that stole the show. We liked its richness, its deep flavor, its crispy burnt Gruyére top. Other sides included Balsamic Braised Brussels with Pancetta, which along with the gratin came to us through the Smitten Kitchen food blog, and The Silver Palate’s Leek and Potato Purée. Lamb Chops with Artichokes and Endive anchored this pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving.

Everyone’s plate was packed and there wasn’t much discussion as we dove into dinner. Though comfortably stuffed, Dave and I circled back for seconds because, after all, that’s what you do on Thanksgiving. Katy and Dorian, who had been good enough to join us in our little reenactment, managed to call it quits after a single helping.

We must have spent three hours in the kitchen, but when I think back on the evening I can’t believe it could have been so long. The time just flew. To spend such an inordinate amount of time cooking a meal that lasts maybe 30 minutes, you’ve really got to enjoy it. And enjoy the company around you.

Lamb Chops with Artichokes and Endive
6 portions

6 large cooked artichoke hearts, fresh or canned
6 boned loin lambs, cut 1 1/2 inches thick, about 6 ounces each, trimmed weight
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3/4 cup cooked spinach
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
6 tablespoons sweet butter
6 whole endives, trimmed, cleaned and halved lengthwise
1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Set 1 artichoke heart in the half-circle formed by the tail of each lamb chop, wrap tail around, and secure in place with a short wooden skewer. Season chops and artichokes with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Season spinach to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg and divide equally in the center of the artichoke hearts.

4. Mash together the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Spread a bit of the garlic butter on top of each lamb chop.

5. Arrange each chop on half of a sheet of foil. Place 2 endive halves next to each chop and dot endive with remaining butter. Season endive with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle chopped parsley all over. Seal the foil packets, and set on a baking dish.

6. Bake about 20 minutes for medium rare. Transfer packets to serving plates and allow guests to open them at table.

Leek and Potato Puree
6 portions

6 large leeks
2 pounds red-skinned potatoes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) sweet butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Trim roots and most, but not all, of the green leaves from leeks, leaving each leek about 7 inches long. Split down to but not through the base and wash thoroughly.

2. Bring 3 quarts salted water to a boil in a pot, add leeks, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and chop.

3. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes. Cover them with cold water in another pot. Add salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are very tender, 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the size. Drain and reserve.

4. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook over low heat until lightly colored, about 15 minutes. Add leeks and an additional 3 tablespoons butter and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

5. Transfer leeks-and-butter mixture to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and purée until smooth.

6. Mash the potatoes, adding heavy cream as needed. Stir in the leek purée and remaining 6 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently until steaming. Serve immediately.