Thanksgiving Recipes: Side Dishes

What would a turkey be on Thanksgiving without its faithful side companions? Often more popular than the turkey itself, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and other favorites are staples of the food coma-inducing meal.

Try one of the recipes below to bring a new taste to your Thanksgiving feast. .

Roasted Winter Squash
Serves four.

Ingredients

• 1 small acorn or butternut squash
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Salt
• Cream (optional)
• Ripe pear, diced (optional)
• Dried cranberries (optional)

Directions

Gauge the amount of squash you’ll need by allowing one small squash (acorn and butternut are good choices) for every four people.

Cut each squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Brush sides and inner cavity with olive oil and place flesh-side down on a lightly-oiled baking sheet.

Roast for approximately 45 minutes or until flesh is very soft and easy pulls away from the skin. After removing squash from oven, let cool for a bit, then scoop the cooked flesh out and transfer to a large bowl.

Using a potato masher, work squash into an almost-purée.

Season with olive oil or butter, salt and perhaps a little cream. You can even incorporate some diced ripe pear or dried cranberries (or both). Leftover squash can be used in pies later.

Triple Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed, drained
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (about 2 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons orange peel, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1-2 chopped granny smith apples to taste (optional)

Directions

In a heavy medium saucepan, combine cranberry juice concentrate and sugar. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Add fresh and dried cranberries. Stirring often, cook until dried berries begin to soften and fresh berries begin to pop—about seven minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange marmalade, orange juice, orange peel and allspice. Cool completely.

Cover; chill until cold, about two hours.

This can be made up to three days in advance, but should be kept refrigerated.

Green Beans

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds market green beans, trimmed
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound Brandt Beef bacon, chopped
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup Hopkins AG almonds, chopped and toasted (you can buy them already roasted)
• Juice of half a lemon
• Pepper

Directions

Toss the green beans in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook until bright green and tender crisp, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, shock the green beans in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the beans and pat dry.

In a heavy pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain off the excess bacon grease, leaving about two tablespoons in the pan. Add the shallots to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in pepper flakes and sauté for about 1 minute more. Add the green beans and almonds and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Place the cooked bacon back in the pan with the green beans and squeeze lemon juice over the beans. Toss and season with salt and pepper.

Traditional Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup milk (start with this, you may need more)
• 1/4 cup butter softened at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash of pepper

Directions

Peel the potatoes. Cut them into one-and-a-half-inch chunks and put them in a saucepan. Add water until potatoes are covered. If you'd like, you can rinse the potatoes and add fresh water.

Bring to boil and add one teaspoon of salt, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes or until done (when a fork can easily be poked through them). Remove from heat and drain all the water.

Put the potatoes back in the pot and add butter and milk. Also, you can mash them off the heat, then give them a quick whisk or two over low heat to warm them up. Beat/mix the potatoes well enough to get rid of any lumps but not so much that your potatoes end up sticky or gluey. Add salt to taste. Serve!