Email this page
Print this pageThe Sides
Sweet Potatoes
Roasting is an easy way to prep mashed sweet potatoes but, given that there’s a turkey in the oven, boiling is a great alternative.
7 large (5 pounds) sweet
potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
¾ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons (K stick) butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Place potatoes in a Dutch oven or stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and rice potatoes into a large bowl, adding sugar, butter, milk and cinnamon. Place in a greased baking dish. Reheat, covered, at 350˚ for 30 minutes. Apricot and banana versions can also be reheated in a microwave if the oven is full.
Sweet Potato variations:
Streusel: In a food processor, pulse together:
2/3 cup toasted almonds
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon candied ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pulse until dough clumps. Chill dough one hour or up to two days. Sprinkle streusel on top of potatoes and bake, uncovered, at 350˚ for 30 minutes. Cover if streusel is overbrowning.
Apricot: Soak 10 ounces dried apricots in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Puree in a food processor until you get a slightly chunky spread. Add to sweet potatoes, milk and butter. Omit brown sugar and cinnamon.
Banana: Cut the ends off of 4 bananas and roast on a cookie sheet
at 400˚ for 10 to 15 minutes. Add banana pulp to the sweet potatoes, omitting the milk.
Marshmallow: Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla to mashed potatoes. Bake at 350˚, covered, for 30 minutes Uncov-er, add 2 cups mini-marshmallows on top and bake, uncovered, until marsh-mallows are melted.
Mashed Potatoes
I came face to face with this dish at a Thanksgiving dinner nearly fifteen years ago, flatly refusing to leave without the recipe in hand. Its best feature? The potatoes can be made up to a full day ahead and reheated. (They’re also obscenely delicious.)
12 medium Russet potatoes (5 pounds), peeled and cut
into wedges
12 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese, cut into cubes
3/4 cup sour cream
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste
Place potatoes in a Dutch oven and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and rice potatoes into a large bowl, adding the cubed cheese to the hot potatoes. Add the sour cream and butter, mixing gently but thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and place in a greased baking dish. If you are making the potatoes a day earlier, cover and keep in the refrigerator. Reheat, covered, at 350˚ for 30 minutes, removing cover after 20 minutes.
Mashed Potato variations:
Red Wine: Reduce 3 cups of hearty red wine (such as cabernet) over high heat until reduced to 2/3 cup. Add to potatoes, reducing the sour cream to 1/2 cup.
Onion-Horseradish: Saute 2 large, chopped onions with 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet, cooking over low heat until completely caramelized (about 40 minutes). Add onions and 1/2 cup prepared white horseradish to the potatoes.
Southern Greens: Saute 2 slices of thick-cut bacon until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels and crumble. Saute 1/2 pound of collard or mustard greens in bacon fat, cooking until just wilted. Add 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, crumbled bacon, and salt and pepper to taste. Add to potatoes.
Roasted Garlic: Cut the tops off of 2 heads of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and bake at 425˚ for 1 hour. Allow garlic to cool and then squeeze into potatoes.
Cheesy: Omit half the cream cheese and add 6 ounces of your favorite bold-flavored cheese: herbed goat, smoked gruyere, aged cheddar or parmesan.
Stuffing
When you’re basting the turkey, drizzle some of the drippings onto the stuffing.
1 large loaf sourdough or white bread,
cut into 3/4-inch cubes and toasted on a cookie sheet at 400˚ until golden
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped (about
3 cups)
6 stalks celery, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups wild mushroom, sliced
1 1/2 cups roasted chestnuts, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
3 eggs, beaten well
1 1/2 cups turkey stock
In a 12-inch, heavy skillet over moderate heat, saute onion, celery and mushrooms in butter. Stir occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add chestnuts and cook for five minutes longer.
Transfer to a large bowl and add bread, parsley, celery salt, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.
Add eggs and stir in stock. (Add an extra egg if stuffing seems dry.)
Butter a 3-quart casserole or 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Transfer stuffing to dish and cover with aluminum foil. Drizzle with K cup of turkey drippings taken from the pan. Bake, covered, at 350˚ until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 10 minutes longer.
Stuffing variations:
Leek & Artichoke: Substitute leeks for the onions and add 1 cup chopped artichokes (cooked fresh or thawed frozen).
Oyster: Saute 1/2 pound of bacon in a large skillet. Remove bacon to paper towels and saute onions and celery in remaining bacon fat.
Omit chestnuts. Transfer to a bowl and add 24 shucked and chopped oysters and all other ingredients. Crumble bacon and add to mixture.
Sausage: Add crumbled Italian pork or sliced chicken-apple sausage and saute with the onions and celery.
Cornbread: Substitute cornbread for sour-dough bread. Halve the celery, substitute 3 cups Golden Delicious apples and 1 cup dried cherries for mushrooms and chestnuts. Add remaining ingredients and follow classic recipe.
Roasted Vegetables
Simple, quick and delicious.
2 pounds green beans
1/4 cup olive oil
Place trimmed beans in a shallow pan or cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil. Add lemon juice,
salt and pepper and toss again. Roast at 425˚, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.
Vegetable variations:
Asparagus: 10 to 13 minutes
Snowpeas or sugarsnap peas: 10 minutes
Broccoli: 20 to 25 minutes
Carrots, onions and beets: 50 to 60 minutes (omit lemon juice and add 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar)
Back to the feature
Most Viewed
Newsletters
Follow us • Like Us
 |  |
Special sections
Copyright 2012 Rhode Island Monthly
Please be civil. We reserve the right to edit or delete any comments.