Culinary News
Alternatives To The Traditional Thanksgiving Menu- The Sides
3rd post of 5
In our third post we take a look at the side dishes. The side dishes are probably the most interesting part of the Thanksgiving meal. Here you have a chance to mix it up with a lot of options to get creative. The sides can also wreck havoc on wine pairing, so keep that in mind when selecting your choices.
In the next Thanksgiving post we will talk about alternatives to the traditional stuffing, here we have listed some alternatives for stuffing if your are looking to replace the traditional stuffing. Here is the list of alternatives to the traditional side dishes served on Thanksgiving:
- Wild Rice with Currents & Walnuts– A nice alternative that goes well with game birds.
- Chipotle Sweet Potatoes– Forget about making sweet potatoes sweeter with marshmallows and maple syrup. Chipotle helps cut the natural sweetness found in sweet potatoes and yams and adds a nice balance.
- Succotash– Hey why not, corn was rumored to be at the first Thanksgiving meal.
- Spoon Bread– Another way to get corn on your menu and very similar to Savory Bread Pudding.
- Savory Bread Pudding with Chestnuts & Mushrooms– Similar to a dessert bread pudding but with savory ingredients. Use an egg & cream mixture with bread, add mushrooms, chestnuts, and herbs.
- Haricot Vert with Slice Almonds & Pomegranate Seeds– Haricot Vert are in season and this adds a healthy alternative to the green bean casserole.
- Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussels Sprouts– Medium dice the butternut squash and roast with the brussels sprouts. Very tasty and has a striking autumn color combination. (click link to see more)
- Little Gems Salad with Persimmons and Pomegranate Vinaigrette– A good way to get more healthy produce into the mix.
- Roasted Root Vegetables– Yams, sweet potatoes, celery root, turnips, rutabagas, radishes, carrots, beets or any combination of the above.
- Mashed Potatoes with Crème Fraîche & Caramelized Onions– One of many options for the plain mashed potatoes.
- Truffled Mashed Potatoes– Another mashed potato option that adds some decadence.
- Garnet Yam, Potato, & Celery Root Gratin– Slice the root vegetables on a mandoline and place in alternate layers and you will have all your starch sides in one dish.
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups– Roast sweet potatoes or yams whole, slice an orange in half and hollow it out, add sweet potato purée, then bake in the oven. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and or pinenuts.
- Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta– Halve or shred the brussels sprouts and sauté with pancetta.
- Sautéed Chanterelles– Simple enough and chanterelles will help elevate many dishes on the Thanksgiving table.
- Chestnut-Orange Biscuits– Traditional biscuits with orange zest and chestnuts.
- Rosemary Focaccia– An alternative to the traditional biscuit.
Look for the next post coming soon on the alternatives to the traditional Turkey, Stuffing, and Gravy. In case you missed the previous posts, here are the links: