The Queer Eye star revealed the holiday dish he goes all out for, and the iconic side he'd prefer to leave off the menu.
As you might have guessed, culinary expert and cookbook author Antoni Porowski isn’t the type to take a casual approach to cooking during the holidays.
The Queer Eye star recently told Taste of Home that when he’s home for the holidays, he attempts to restrain “the control freak in me who always wants to take over every culinary situation and be able to create those experiences.” But for at least one meal during his time with family, he admitted, the inner control freak wins.
“Go sit in the living room, go sit in front of the fireplace, go play with the kids and grandkids, I want to be in the kitchen alone,” Antoni said. “Let me stress out for four hours and create a meal for everybody and go all out with something.” That urge to have the kitchen to ourselves sometimes is so real!
This Is Antoni’s Go-To Holiday Dish
Of course, we had to know what Antoni brings to the table when he goes all out. This holiday season, he said he’s adapted a chicken version of his signature golden root vegetable potpie—originally featured in his 2021 cookbook, Let’s Do Dinner—as part of his new partnership with the Carnation Red Carpet Recipe Collection. He recently tested the recipe with a pair of friends, and says it was a hit.
“They mentioned that they’re going to be making it for their families, so we’ll see if that actually happens,” Antoni said.
He’ll also typically prepare soft scrambled eggs for his family on Christmas Eve morning, as well as a rustic, rich stew he calls a “dump and stir” paired with a couple loaves of sourdough bread.
When it’s his turn to sit by the fire, Antoni said he also spends a lot of time during the holidays honoring his heritage by “eating a shocking amount of Polish food.”
One of his favorites—even though it’s typically served for the Easter holiday—was his Aunt Magda’s mazurek, a Polish shortbread that’s stuffed with hazelnut, chocolate or kajmak, a caramel that Antoni described as “the beloved candy of Poland.”
Antoni’s Least Favorite Holiday Dish
When it comes to the traditional holiday dishes he’s not in a rush to spoon onto his plate, Antoni did not mince words.
“I love a sweet potato,” he said. “They’re delicious, they’re good for us, they’re really good in a nice little curry-type soup or cut into wedges and air-fried, but this sort of Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole with candied pecans and marshmallow on top? It’s too much. It’s too sweet and it’s just too intense.” Hey, to each their own.
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