This is a fabulous way to celebrate Friendsgiving – this friendsgiving platter has something for everyone. It is also an eye-catching arrangement that will wow your guests! Here are the recipes for Sweet Potato Hummus, Cranberry Blackberry Sauce to drizzle on top the the warmed brie, and red potato wedges. Buying pre-made frozen turkey meatballs and store-bought turkey gravy will save you some time. Here are the recipes and the simple arranging tips for your beautiful platter!

Sweet Potato Hummus Recipe

SERVES  8-10

One large organic yam or sweet potato, baked

1-2 tablespoon, tahini (optional – I omit)

½ – 1 lime squeezed

2 sprinkles red chili flakes

2 tablespoons canned chickpeas, drained

1 clove garlic, sautéed in a drizzle of olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Garnish: fresh parsley, crispy chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, lime wedge, red chili flakes.

Bake the yam in the oven until a fork can pierce through it easily. If you can cook in the microwave, this will save time. Be sure to scrub the yam well as it retains a lot of dirt.

Let the yam cool. Once cool cut it in half. Scoop out the flesh and add to a high-speed blender, along with all the ingredients. Drizzle in a little water last, a little at a time only! Once you have achieved a smooth consistency, it is done.

Pour into a medium size bowl and smooth out the top. Spread the dip all along and up the sides of the bowl. Add a garnish of the following: drizzle olive oil. red chili flakes, chopped fresh parsley, store bought crispy spicy chickpeas, lime wedge, and sunflower seeds.

This pairs well with a spicy sweet potato chip or a spicy flatbread chip seasoned with chili peppers and lime. Great any time of year! We do not add tahini as my son is allergic to sesame, but feel free to add a tablespoon or more. As always experiment, and taste as you go!

Cranberry Blackberry Sauce Recipe

SERVES 10

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 (12 ounce) bag fresh cranberries

1 (6 ounce) package blackberries

¼ cup pomegranate juice

Splash orange juice

Splash Cabernet Wine, optional

Add the water and sugar to a pot and let this come to a boil. Then add in the cranberries and let them come to a boil, then lower the heat and keep the cranberries on a gentle boil. Add in the blackberries, ¼ cup pom juice and splash orange juice (wine optional). This will continue to thicken as it cooks about 10 minutes, stir continually. Let this cool completely and even better to refrigerate overnight. You will need 1/2 cup to add to the top of the goat’s milk brie which I found at Trader Joes.

Red Potato Skin Wedges

2 large red potato, cut into wedges and boiled (skin on)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

½ lime squeezed

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Dash red chili flakes

Lime wedge for squeezing on your portion

Spicy sour cream for dipping add in dried herbs, red chili flakes, paprika and black pepper

You may use tiny potatoes, but they do not have as much flavor as the larger ones. Scrub potatoes and cut into bite size chunks and boil until tender. Let cool. Do not rinse with water.

Once cool, add in all the ingredients and mix well with a spoon. This is best next day! Add sea salt to taste. Lime wedge is for adding to the individual portions so place it next to the potatoes on the platter.

Place the potatoes inside four cabbage leaves forming a bowl. They can spill out onto platter if you wish or may remain inside the cabbage bowl.

Assemble the board/platter…

Be sure you have a large wood board for this display. You may use a platter as well. Whatever you have on hand is fine.

Let’s start with the carrots. Take them out of the package and pat dry, because they retain a good amount of moisture and you don’t want that on your wood board. Next, cut a few carrots lengthwise revealing the gorgeous inside vein. If you cannot find mixed color carrots use the orange ones.

Rinse the grapes and pat dry. Prepare the hummus and arrange in a medium size bowl, be sure to heavily garnish the top. Pair the dip with a spicy flatbread or sweet potato chip that has a spicy seasoning.

Place the brie inside a small microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds or until soft and slightly warm and add ¼ cup of the homemade cranberry blackberry sauce. If you have a few blackberries on hand you can garnish with that or a rosemary sprig. You may omit this step but be sure to serve the brie at least at room temperature and not cold. Take out two hours before serving. Baking it in a ramekin is another option. In this case add the sauce and bake then serve hot!

Place the hummus in the middle of the board. Load up the potato wedges inside the cabbage bowl and add that next to the hummus between that and a big mound of grapes. Place the brie on the platter with a knife for cutting and smearing on crackers. Place the carrots in front of the hummus dip. The peppers pair well with this color so add 5-6 to the board and one or two slightly off the board.

Dice the cornbread into chunks and place on the board. It is very crumbly so be careful not to over touch. Decide on a spot and don’t move them. Add your gouda cheese and the pink Himalayan crackers along with some pretty rosemary as a garnish. Place a knife for cutting the cheese nearby.

Heat turkey meatballs according to directions on the bag. Once fully heated through, add a piece of parsley to the top and stick a pick inside. Try to find a decorative one. I found mine at Party City. This makes dipping and eating these easy for your guests. Keep the warmed gravy next to the meatballs for easy dipping. You can skip the forks, if you prefer to keep these warm for guests, then add to a bowl and heat bowl in microwave intermittently. You can do the same with the gravy. Otherwise do the meatballs on the fork last, so they are hot when guest ring your doorbell!

For the *vegetarians in the crowd, you can do my cauliflower fritters instead, these are on my blog! Also, skip the turkey meat and in its place add more cauliflower on the platter!  There is something for everyone on this platter, and you can adapt according to your needs.

Using half of pound of turkey (save the other half for refills) fold the slice in half, and in half again and place on the platter. Heat up the gravy (in a white bowl) and meatballs. Garnish meatballs with parsley and add to the board. Add your crackers, chips and rosemary garnish last. Place apples, and pear amidst the board to have a nice color balance. Add the orange cauliflower next to the gouda as the colors pair well together. The honey can stay next to the Norwegian crackers. You can even assemble one or two crackers with a slice of gouda and a drizzle of honey so people know how to create cheese cracker combos.

Enjoy and have fun creating a beautiful eye-catching display for your guests! Happy Thanksgiving!

*keep bowl colors and shapes consistent