Take a Turkey Break

Let’s face it: There is no changing the fact that Thanksgiving and Christmas are only about a month apart. What that means for serious eaters and home cooks is an almost certain double-down: Traditional dishes from Turkey Day will be making their way to the Christmas table, as well.

Green bean casserole and bread stuffing are a not-so-distant memory, and you know you'll be shoving them down your mashed potato-laced gullet again soon. But I'm here for you. I want to help. Here are a few ways to get the taste of Thanksgiving out of your mouth before Santa comes to town:

Wing and a Prayer

If you want to dull the tastebuds and just get it over with right away, head to Cowgirl BBQ (319 S Guadalupe St., 982-2565) and order the Wings of Fire. Made with a habanero-based Diablo Sauce, these wings (five to eight wings per order, depending on size) served with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks can sometimes get pretty hot. They'll even make the wings spicier, if you ask. You and your belly have been warned.

An Apple a Day

Over at the Santa Fe Spirits Downtown Tasting Room (308 Read St., 780-5906), a nip of the distiller's apple brandy makes for a great turkey-palate cleanser, as do signature cocktails made with it. Bonus round: This season, Santa Fe Spirits offers a special edition of apple brandy bottles with actual apples inside of them. Talk about farm-to-table. If you want to delve further into the distillery's offerings in the pursuit of chasing away those cranberry sauce demons, check out the Slow Burn smoked gin liqueur, made with the company's Wheeler's Western Dry Gin kissed with hickory and apple woods. Super-extra-bonus: On Saturday, Dec. 5—the day Prohibition ended in 1933—the tasting room hosts a holiday party. If you RSVP to adam@santafespirits.com, you get your first cocktail for a measly buck. I know it goes without saying, but dammit, don't drive drunk.

Some Next-Level Stuff

I thought about not recommending any traditional New Mexican food here, because it is as much a part of our local winter-holiday traditions as pumpkin pie. But sometimes, you just crave that uncanny, creeping deep heat, the kind that strips away all rational thought while taking your tastebuds on a journey of hellish discovery. Horseman's Haven Café (4354 Cerrillos Road, 471-5420) is a longtime Santa Fe treasure, and it's also home to the Level Two green chile, which you should ask for by name if you like it spicy. I mean really spicy. Like make-you-cry-and-burp-fire spicy, if you're not careful with it.

The Tandoor Tango

Cumin-crusted wild salmon marinated with yogurt, ginger, garlic and tandoori spices make for the perfect holiday mind eraser. At Raaga (544 Agua Fría St., 820-6440), chef Paddy Rawal serves up this dish and many others that can transport you to a place where any mention of giblet gravy is strictly forbidden. Chicken korma with fenugreek and cashew cream sauce or lamb curry with fennel, ginger, star anise and nutmeg are also good bets. For the vegetarians out there, Raaga offers plenty of meatless options.

Sausage Festivus

Have you been to the Dr. Field Goods Butcher and Bakery (2860 Cerrillos Road, Ste. B-5, 471-0043) yet? Located just a few yards from the Dr. Field Goods Kitchen restaurant, the shop whips up everything fresh, from sausages and liverwurst to cinnamon rolls and stuffed pastries. Peruse the chalkboard and display cases at the restaurant for the day's offerings when you visit, and check their Facebook page for interesting new items. If you'd rather take a meal in the restaurant, my bet is on the tacos of the day and the goat torta, the latter of which also includes refried beans, fresh apples, cabbage, honey-habanero sauce, habanero goat cheese spread and the restaurant's signature potatoes. Still, the wood-fired pizza is hard to resist.

Santa Fe Reporter