Pairings: Pinot complements the Thanksgiving table

Our Wine of the Week, Argyle 2016 Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($27), is a dream come true for lovers of this varietal, especially at this time of year. Not so long ago, you risked a fight if you tried to put pinot noir at the center of the Thanksgiving table. Grandpa or Uncle Joe or your old brother was bound to complain, call your choice wimpy and demand a cabernet sauvignon or zinfandel.

Slowly, the varietal has gained wider acceptance and at this time of year, that is reason enough to give thanks. A well-made pinot noir is the most food friendly of all red wines.

This is dark and lusty, yet elegant. It’s no showgirl, but, instead, a commanding dowager, dressed in crisp black taffeta, or maybe a swaggering Jon Hamm as Don Draper, in his perfectly ironed tuxedo.

Fruit suggests dark berries, cranberries and dark cherries,with flourishes of nutmeg, allspice and clove. Acidity is so bright and engaging that you can, rightly, call it exuberant. Each mouthful tastes invigoratingly fresh.

The wine is a wonderful match with roasted turkey, especially the dark meat, and most dressings. Its earthy foundation pairs beautifully with mashed potatoes and gravy. Cranberry salsa or relish will sent it soaring. You’ll want to keep the wine around for leftovers, too, as everything from turkey barley soup and turkey gumbo to turkey risotto and turkey meatballs will welcome this wine alongside.

If you are not fully committed to sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, this side dish, perfect for the holiday table, will flatter the wine beautifully.

And you don’t have to give up mashed potatoes; there no reason you can’t have two potato dishes as part of your feast.

Potato-Sweet Potato Sauté

Serves 6 to 10

- Juice of 1 lemon

- Kosher salt

1½ pounds waxy potatoes, preferably dry farmed, peeled

1½ pounds red sweet potatoes ?(sometimes called yams), peeled

8 tablespoons butter

½-1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

- Black pepper in a mill

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Fill a medium saucepan half full with water and add the lemon juice and a generous tablespoon of salt.

Cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes into 3/8-inch cubes. To do so, first slice each potato into lengthwise slices 3/8-inch wide. Cut each slice into 3/8-inch wide strips and cut each strip into 3/8-inch pieces. (If you work with a good sharp knife this is an easy task and not at all daunting.)

Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the potatoes and sweet potatoes are almost but not fully tender; it will take 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the heat, drain well and spread the potatoes and sweet potatoes on a sheet pan or on another wide shallow pan to cool to room temperature.

Just before serving, put the butter into a wide sauté pan set over medium heat. The butter will first melt and the turn foamy. Leave it over medium heat until it starts to brown lightly and give off a nut-like aroma. Turn the heat to low, add the paprika the cooled tubers. Sauté, without stirring, for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and use a thin metal spatula to turn them over and continue to cook without stirring. If you handle them too much, they will crumble.

When fully tender and lightly browned, taste, correct for salt and season with a few more turns of black pepper.

Transfer to a wide, shallow bowl, scatter parsley on top and enjoy right away.

Michele Anna Jordan is host of “Mouthful: Smart Talk About Food, Wine & Farming” on Sunday evenings on KRCB 91.1 and 90.9 FM. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com