Sometimes, the side dish is the star. Memorable side dish recipes for the Thanksgiving and Christmas include scalloped corn, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, dressing, soups and salads.
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Roasted Squash Salad with Vanilla-Orange Vinaigrette
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Jason Qureshi, executive chef of River Roast, grew up seeing spices like cinnamon used in savory dishes. He thinks that's where he got the idea for this harvest salad, dressed in a vinaigrette of orange juice and vanilla bean paste. "Real vanilla has a delicate warmth that plays well with the squash, cherries, pepitas and goat cheese," he says.
Chicago Chef Jason Qureshi Shares His Best Holiday Recipes
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Candied Yams
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A use-what-you-have cook, Gerard Klass's mom always put SunnyD in her yams. So, the chef and co-owner of Soul Bowl in Minneapolis does, too—along with plenty of butter, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.
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Brown Butter Carrots with Brioche Breadcrumbs
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Imagine if you took the glazed carrots of your childhood and made them just a little extra. Or maybe a lot extra—with pools of nutty brown butter and honey, and a heap of brioche breadcrumbs. The dish comes from Jason Qureshi, executive chef at River Roast in Chicago.
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Can-Don't Green Bean Casserole
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Is our all-natural, totally homemade version of the iconic holiday side more work than the one made with canned stuff? Well, yes. But wow, is it good.
Fresh Ideas for Green Bean Recipes
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Mac and Cheese
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This side is a staple at Chicago restaurant River Roast, and executive chef Jason Qureshi keeps the recipe basic—aside from one little twist. "Hot sauce is my secret ingredient," he says.
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Butter-Braised Leeks
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Butter-braised leeks become meltingly tender when slow-simmered in chicken stock with herbs. Michigan Chef Kieron Hales recommends setting aside the cooking liquid to use in a soup.
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange and Mascarpone
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A pat of butter and a sprinkle of black pepper is all it takes to crown this rich and creamy sweet mash.
Sweet Potato Recipes You'll Love
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Lemon-Garlic Brussels Sprouts
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With a heavy meal like a holiday dinner, Chicago chef Jason Qureshi says you want tang somewhere to give your palate a break. Dousing a vegetable like these skillet-browned sprouts in lemon juice wakes them up like a ray of winter-morning sunshine.
Fresh Brussels Sprouts Recipes
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Old-Fashioned Scalloped Corn
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Fresh or frozen whole-kernel corn blends with canned cream-style corn for a delicious take on this favorite side dish. Toasted and buttered crushed crackers add more texture to the top of the casserole.
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No-Bake Harvest Stuffing
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We added walnuts, cranberries and seedy bread to classic sage-and-onion turkey dressing—and we did it in a slow cooker. The lidded appliance keeps the stuffing perfectly moist and, of course, frees up the oven for another pie.
Favorite Stuffing Recipe Ideas
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Carrot and Swede Puree
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Thyme and garlic flavor this puree of carrot and swede, the British word for rutabaga. Michigan chef Kieron Hales, who grew up in England, makes this humble root vegetable the star of the holiday table by blending it with lots of butter (which earns raves even from his picky younger son).
A British Chef Brings Holiday Flavors Across the Pond
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Mushroom Gravy with Sherry and Thyme
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This ridiculously flavorful vegetarian gravy will satisfy even the heartiest meat-eaters. Along with sherry and tomato paste, dried porcini mushrooms (available in the produce sections of large supermarkets) replicate the savory flavor of drippings.
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J Cole Cauliflower Mash
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These mashed potatoes are a staple on the menu of Soul Bowl in Minneapolis. Chef and co-owner Gerard Klass roasts cauliflower to bring nutrition and nutty sweetness, but powdered ranch seasoning adds the real X factor.
Creative Cauliflower Recipes
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Common Cornbread Dressing
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Gerard Klass's dressing, made with his jalapeno-flecked Cornbread, is flavored with fresh sage, rosemary and thyme. This chef and co-owner of Soul Bowl in Minneapolis says he's still chasing his mom's holiday dressing. But by our measure, he's there.
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Roast Potatoes
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Crispy outside and floury inside, English roast potatoes are typically cooked very simply—water, salt, hot oil. The fat-crisped nuggets have a light, floury interior. But Michigan Chef Kieron Hales, who grew up in England, dresses his up with herbs, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
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Maple-Butternut Puree
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Roasting brings out squash's natural sugars. Blending with maple syrup, butter and nutmeg makes it utterly addictive. Bonus: This dish reheats beautifully.
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Popovers
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Minnesota pastry chef Emily Marks has learned all the tricks to making popovers. Serve them with honey butter or swap chopped fresh herbs, black pepper, or shredded cheese for the honey.
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Spicy Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
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For a gloriously orange update to scalloped potatoes, we layered sweet potatoes, sharp cheddar and chipotle peppers. But the luscious creamy goodness? Still the same.
Sweet Potato Recipes You'll Love
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Spiced Cranberry Sauce
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This shortcut recipe from Minneapolis chef Gerard Klass starts with a can of jellied cranberry sauce. It's a great holiday condiment alone, or use it as a glaze on the chef's Juicy J Salmon recipe.
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Mashed Sweet Potato with Melted Leeks
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Luxuriously silky leeks—slow-cooked in butter and seasoned with lemon juice and thyme—ripple through sweet potatoes. Feel free to substitute ordinary potatoes if you prefer.
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Cranberry Chutney
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Cranberries and apple simmer with red onion, ginger and mustard seeds for a spiced variation on traditional sauce. Try it on a sandwich with leftover turkey.
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Calico Corn Bread Dressing
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Homey corn bread meets woodsy sage, thyme and shitake mushrooms. Carrots and apricots add color and sweetness.
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Lazy-Braised, Maple-Glazed Carrots
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Compared to traditional super sugary glazed carrots, our recipe bridges sweet and savory. Come the holidays, this dish is well worth a spot on the holiday table.
Favorite Carrot Recipes
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Tuscan Kale with Brown Butter, Pecans and Golden Raisins
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The recipe makes more than enough of chef Anne Kearney's Spiced Pecans for this dish. Not to worry. They're fantastic for snacking or sprinkling on salad. Tuscan kale, sometimes called dinosaur or lacinato kale, has darker, smoother leaves than curly kale. It also has a more tender texture.
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Mustard-Dressed Roasted Vegetables with Cranberries
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This pretty dish is perfect on a holiday table or alongside any roasted meats.
Best Roasted Vegetable Recipes
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Cauliflower Gratin
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Tossing cauliflower with bread crumbs, Dijon, cheddar, herbs and almonds makes this humble veg holiday-special.
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Cranberry-Apple Sweet Potatoes
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Mix pantry ingredients—canned apple pie filling, canned sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, apricot preserves, orange marmalade and chopped pecans—for a quick-and-easy side dish with a crunchy nut topping.
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Pappa's Pear Stuffing
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You can serve this hearty, fruit-studded dressing with roasted or grilled pork, poultry or ham. The recipe comes from the historical Story Inn in Nashville, Indiana.
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Sweet Potato Biscuits
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Orange zest, nutmeg and smoked paprika add layers of flavor to these tender biscuits.
Our Best Recipes for Rolls, Breads and Biscuits
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Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese "Mallows"
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Laced with garlic and rosemary and topped with pecans and goat cheese, this easy casserole gives a savory wink to the traditional sweet-on-sweet staple.
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Lemony Green Beans
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Garlic, shallots and lemon brighten crisp-tender beans. Save time by parboiling the green beans a day early.
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Spiced Pumpkin Bisque
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The Inn at Irish Hollow in Galena, Illinois, serves this creamy, curried soup throughout the fall and winter. You can make your own crème fraîche for the garnish, or use purchased crème fraiche or sour cream.
Pumpkin Recipes We Absolutely Love
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