It sounds un-American, but Harriet Juli refuses to serve mashed potatoes at her Thanksgiving dinner.

"I don't care for them," she says, before suggesting they're better used for "fixing cracks in your ceiling."

Juli also "doesn't do that string-bean casserole thing," which she says in a tone that evokes much nose-wrinkling. It's too salty, she says, and the beans get overcooked.

But even if you disagree with Juli's strong opinions about her own Thanksgiving meal, you might be inclined to take some cues from the Waterford home cook, and from local caterers, who regularly serve large amounts of food without sacrificing flavor and quality.

Though green-bean casserole is banned from Juli's table, vegetables are not. Instead of casserole, Juli makes roasted vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, parsnips, and other root vegetables, which she says are easy to prepare.

Easy, but time-consuming. Linda Sample, from a Thyme to Cook in North Stonington, suggests chopping veggies a day or two ahead of time and keeping them in water, covered, in the refrigerator.

Cori White, of East Coast Catering in New London, adds that if a particular vegetable is hard to cut—like acorn or butternut squash—it can be put in the oven whole, briefly, just long enough to soften it, which makes it easier to slice and de-seed.

On to starches. Instead of those taboo mashed potatoes, Juli prefers to make sweet potatoes, which she says remain pristine whether roasted or baked.

But, if you are going to make traditional potatoes, White says to prepare them right before meal time, whipping them while they're hot, otherwise the texture will suffer.

"If you get a gluey potato, that's why," White says.

If you're afraid you won't be able to start mashing in time, White suggests making twice-baked potatoes, which require less time management.

When it comes to the main course, if you're feeding a big crowd, Sample says, it takes far less time to roast two smaller turkeys, than to make one very large bird.

And, Juli adds, "Don't look at it too many times." Every time you open the oven, heat escapes, which slows down your cooking time.

Nor does she make stuffing inside the turkey; instead she places oranges, apples, carrots and celery in the turkey to add fresh flavors to the meat.

Many people make stuffing outside the turkey these days, typically because they fear bacteria will survive in their main dish if the stuffing—tucked deep inside the turkey—is unable to reach the safe temperature of 165 degrees. White suggests spreading stuffing in a baking pan and adding the drippings from the cooked turkey and baking it at 350 or 400 degrees.

"This gives your stuffing all of the flavor and crispness of that from a stuffed bird," White says.

If you're looking for a less labor-intensive meal, White suggests scrapping the traditional soups that require lots of veggie-slicing, and trying a bisque—thick, creamy and pureed. Canned pumpkin makes a pumpkin bisque especially simple, she says, as long as you have the right mixer (she uses a Burr hand mixer).

For appetizers, White also says cooks can try something less traditional with a twist, such as crab cakes. They're easy to make ahead of time and can be frozen then baked when needed. To make them seasonal, White makes a pumpkin creole mayonnaise or aioli sauce, using pumpkin spice, creole or cajun spice mix and mayonnaise with a touch of honey.

Pie, of course, is a traditional component of the Thanksgiving meal, and Juli makes dough early and freezes it for her apple and lemon merengue pies. But White says if you're unsure about making them, leave it to the pros (or assign that task to an eager-to-help relative).

Instead, make a seasonal bread, such a pumpkin or cranberry walnut, or pumpkin spice cookies. You can make cookies look a little fancier by drizzling chocolate on top. (Prep chocolate-drizzle by melting chocolate chips in the microwave in 20-second intervals to keep them from burning or getting hard.)

Juli says the most important thing to remember is to "stay calm."

"Don't get too complicated," she says. "Your food can be enjoyed, and you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time."

k.warchut@theday.com