That's some great looking food, Mike! You are learning a lot, and gaining ton of confidence.
You are right on that the Kettle forgives a multitude of sins-- lid up if you're getting too much flare-up on your steaks (it will reduce the amount of oxygen inside to kill the flames). Likewise, you'll gain the confidence to keep the lid on and cook chickens with mostly-full baskets and have them come out in about an hour (cold weather will slow them down, as will wind, but you'll quickly get a sense of how to adjust).
Also, I'll +1 on the advice to not wrap your potatoes-- oil and season them as you like, then just put them on the grate with indirect heat. They take me about an hour as well, and here's a great tip I learned on these boards: potatoes are perfect at an internal temp of 205.
Keep practicing, and I promise you will have the best turkey of your life this Thanksgiving.