In this post I share my family's traditional Thanksgiving side dishes old and new and a few tales of Turkey days gone by. These are the recipes that we look forward to all year - the dishes that make our Thanksgiving special.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite days, from the time I was very young.
I have little bits and pieces of Thanksgiving memories, some are very hazy. It's funny how some memories are so strong, usually the ones involving my dad of course. One year he made a pumpkin soup to bring to my grandma's for Thanksgiving and he was so excited about it. For some reason we had this huge pumpkin shaped soup tureen and I remember him using that word over and over. And I remember the soup; It was so delicious and creamy. So flavorful. I'll have to make some this winter.
One of my most vivid not-so-great Thanksgiving memories is when we roasted one of our own turkeys. His name was Chester and he was enormous. He was like a weird, pet turkey who just wandered slowly and freely around our farm. I boycotted dinner that year because I just couldn't support the killing, roasting, and eating of Chester. I remember laying on the floor, hungry I'm sure, in silent, peaceful protest, listening to everyone eating, laughing, and talking and thinking what terrible monsters they all were.
Whose Side Are You On?
When I set out to write a Thanksgiving post, I decided pretty quickly I would focus on side dishes. I figure most people have that one designated turkey cooker in the family, right? (hiiiiii, uncle Rick!) so I'm not roasting up (or frying) a bird just for this post. Plus, let's all admit: we're there for the side dishes and the soft, buttery rolls, right? I actually polled my teenage boys on what their favorite sides were, and they all said rolls. Then one said deviled eggs, another asked about my dad's (Bobo's) salmon, which I know isn't traditional and isn't really a side, but it's something he started making a few years ago and I've carried on the very untraditional tradition since his passing. Not surprisingly, none of them said turkey. I rest my case. (I don't even think we're making a turkey this year)
I should mention, a lot has changed in the Parris family over the last year or so, and this will be the first Thanksgiving we are staying home in, like, ever. We aren't going over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house (or anyone else's house). With my dad and grandpa gone and my sweet granny moved up close to my aunt and uncle a few hours away, the dynamic of our family get-togethers has been changed forever I'm afraid. It will just be us, and as much as I love the great big 40 pound (yes, I'm exaggerating) turkey get togethers, I'm kind of looking forward to an intimate turkey-less one this year. Gotta figure out how to make gravy though... Thanksgiving without gravy would be a sad day indeed.
To Turkey or Not to Turkey?
I should also add, my dad made a mean, never boring turkey; one year he actually spatchcocked it and made it super spicy and cajun. My uncle brines and fries his turkey and it is so flavorful and juicy. Turkey, especially in this family, is delicious and I'm not trying to disrespect the guest of honor. I just really love the side dishes and so do my kids, and since it will just be Jason, me, and the kids we are going to make what we love and leave out what we don't.
For our meats I think we have decided on ham, and we will of course call up one of my dad's old favorites: Alton Brown's City Ham, which is a slow baked ham crusted with crushed ginger snaps. Don't knock it 'til you try it. I was so skeptical the first time my dad made it and I thought he had lost his mind rubbing gingersnap crumbs on a blazing hot ham (yes, go read the recipe), but man did he make a believer out of me. I've been trying to hunt down a naturally cured ham and haven't had much luck. We're not big on nitrates around here. Also, Jason and I impulse-bought some pheasants at the store the other day so we might roast them on the big day.
Stuffing or Dressing?
For some reason I did not include a stuffing recipe. I love stuffing and I always kind of wing it. A few stuffing pointers: You always need more stock than you think. Use torn bread, not sliced. Don't stuff it in your turkey, bake it in a dish. Use so much butter. You can never go wrong with a Half Baked Harvest recipe, so here is a link to her Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Stuffing. I might make something like it but incorporate some sage browned butter because clearly I am obsessed with it. I also love sage sausage in stuffing and lots of celery. We'll see. One of the few ways I love cornbread is in stuffing, so we might have to make a small dish of that. I'll make sure to document it so I can share it here.
The Gang's All Here
Yes, this is a long post, but I didn't want to make you all click around and open various pages for the recipes. They are all here. Maybe at some point I'll break them up and give them each their own post, but for now they can all live together in delicious harmony just like they do on the Thanksgiving table.
For ease of reading and navigating, I will introduce each recipe with some photos and write a bit about why they are special to me and to my family, and then I will put all of the recipes at the bottom. That way you don't have to scroll through each description and recipe card to read about the next one. Makes sense to me. Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for you all!
xo - Anita
Uncle Rick's Mashed Potatoes AKA The BEST Mashed Potatoes
These potatoes are heavenly and yes, they really are the best. It's no accident that I gave them the number one spot on my Thanksgiving side round up. I've been eating them my whole life and I look forward to them every year. I was actually surprised that my uncle shared the recipe with me because they are that good. Like, secret recipe good. Unbelievably creamy and more flavorful and savory than any mashed potato I've ever tasted. One of his not-secret-anymore flavor weapons is a whole head of roasted garlic. Another: a bundle of sage, rosemary, and thyme. And the most secret ingredient that I never, ever would have guessed: a cup of French onion dip. You will never make mashed potatoes any other way. It adds a tangy, salty, savoriness that you just can't get enough of. Make these and you'll see why I crave them all year long. I jazzed these up for photos with some sage browned butter because I just can't stop making it and using it in everything lately. I'm thinking up a stuffing recipe I can work some of it into as well.
Dad's Braised Green Beans
My dad made these often, not just during the holiday season. This is a very Frenchified Southern dish. We can't help adding wine to braising liquids, and this dish is no exception. This is our answer to the infamous green bean casserole, something I did not grow up eating and I really don't like at all despite my love of cream of mushroom soup.
Normally I'm a fan of veggies that still have some life in them, but these beans are cooked until they are very soft, tender, and rather drab colored. What they lack in color, they make up for in flavor. And that braising liquid (or pot liquor if we're being really southern) is just so darn delicious. Give me a bowl of white fluffy rice with these beans and some of their juice on top (and maybe a few shakes of Crystal hot sauce) and I'm a happy girl (other than missing my dad immensely). More often than not my dad would just use bacon, but I like the meatiness of the ham or smoked turkey.
The Rolls
These rolls crack me up. You all know how much I love to bake from scratch, and I have a great yeast roll recipe, but with everything else going on in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, it's nice to have a few cheats up your sleeve. These rolls live in my freezer at all times. I make them mainly on Easter and Thanksgiving, and I use them to make monkey bread for Christmas morning. What cracks me up is how much everyone, especially our kids, go crazy for them. "are you making the rolls?" is a question I get whenever a major holiday is rolling up. Easter, Christmas, and of course, Thanksgiving. I do jazz them up a bit by brushing over some garlic-honey butter both before and after baking. You know I have to put my little twist on everything and it makes me feel a little less guilty calling this a recipe when really all I do is thaw some dough!
Deviled Eggs
A classic. One of our boys is a deviled egg fanatic; like, he'll ask for them for dinner. I'm not sure why deviled eggs are made just for holidays and special occasions, but we have them pretty regularly at our house and we definitely have them on Thanksgiving. I make mine extra devilish with a heaping amount of both dijon and spicy mustard, as well as plenty of horseradish. They are tangy and oh so good.
I love using the Instant Pot for hard boiled eggs. It's faster and it makes peeling them a breeze. If you don't have an Instant Pot, just use the traditional stove top method, but I urge you to use old eggs. Fresh eggs are wonderful for so many things, but if you try making hard boiled eggs with them the traditional way, you will go crazy trying to peel them. I don't know the science behind it, I just know it to be a kitchen truth.
Bobo's Slow-Baked Salmon
Always one to shake up tradition, my dad started making this a few years ago on a whim and now no holiday is complete without it.
This is the softest, most buttery salmon. So packed with flavor, so elegant, and such a surprising treat to find on the Thanksgiving buffet. Of course, it's good anytime of year as a main course. This is a great option if you have any pescatarians in the family. Also, if anyone has dairy allergies, use ghee if they can tolerate it, or (and it pains me to write this) just leave the butter out. Use the wine, herbs, garlic and lemon, and a drizzle of fruity olive oil. It will still be just as moist and delicious. I did end up giving this special recipe its own blog post with all the cooking details. Click here for the recipe: Slow Roasted Salmon
Cranberry Sauce
Everyone has a cranberry sauce recipe, but I make mine differently than most. I do not use orange juice, but rather, all natural, unsweetened cranberry juice and apple cider. I add a cinnamon stick and a few sprigs of rosemary, and a grated apple for sweetness and thickness. I don't cover up the cranberry's natural tartness, I celebrate it. It was not my intention when developing this recipe, but this happens to be paleo-friendly since it has no added sugar, refined or otherwise.
To me, most cranberry sauce is just too sweet. I don't want to eat jam on my turkey. I want something to counter all of the richness. This is meant to be a condiment, like mustard or horseradish. A little dab will do you just fine.
Not only is this the perfect, tart counterpoint to all the richness, it is also so incredibly good smeared on a cracker with some soft Brie cheese.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Pecans
Just as I didn't grow up eating green bean casserole, I also didn't grow up eating the infamous sweet potato casserole. You know the one. Already sweet sweet potatoes are mixed with sugar and then topped with marshmallows. I think I was a late teen the first time I tried it and I was so confused by it. Is it a side dish? A dessert? Wait... what... marshmallows??
Needless to say, or write, I'm not a fan. I've written about balance many times here over the years, how I crave it in all aspects of life, and especially when it comes to flavor. Sweet potatoes are already sweet! And unless you're making a pie filling out of them, they don't need any extra sweetness. What they do need is something to contrast and balance their wonderful natural sweetness. That's where these delicious beauties come in. I halve sweet potatoes and score the flesh. Rub with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper and place cut side down on a well oiled baking tray. Roast for 30 minutes in the upper part of the oven, flip over and roast for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven, scatter over toasted, chopped pecans, crumbled blue cheese, and fresh herbs. These are so, so good and perfectly balanced.
Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Prosciutto
Another veggie side dish. This one doesn't appear every year, but it's one of my favorites. Brussels get a bad wrap thanks to being pulled from the freezer, boiled beyond recognition, and forced onto our plates when we were little. I'm not going to force you to eat them, but if you think you don't like them and you've never had them roasted this way, please just give them one more try.
Roasting any veggie brings out its flavor, caramelizes the natural sugars, and just creates such a complex, nutty, irresistible bite. I go for a deep, dark brown on the cut side. How? I start these on the stove top, much like you'd cook a steak. I heat a cast iron skillet until very hot, add oil and a pat of butter, swirl the fats around and then carefully place my sprouts in the pan cut side down. If I have any really little ones I just leave them whole. After they get nice and brown, I toss them around, add some fresh thyme and stick in a hot oven for about 5-10 minutes. A bonus: they are great at room temp, so they won't be vying for precious oven space on the big day.
So that's it. Below you'll find all of the recipes that make our Thanksgiving table special. These are our traditions, old and new. Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite Thanksgiving dishes are. I'd love to know.
I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving full of love, laughter, and so much good food.
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Uncle Rick's Mashed Potatoes aka The BEST Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Description
My Uncle's not-so-secret-anymore recipe and the potatoes I crave all year long. Definitely one of my favorite things on the Thanksgiving table.
Ingredients
- 10 Medium Potatoes (washed, peeled, cubed)
- 1 Whole head of garlic
- 1 Cup French Onion Dip
- 1 Cup Half & Half
- ½ Stick Softened Butter
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- 2 Tablespoons Salt
Instructions
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
Dad's Braised Green Beans
- Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
1 large onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1.5 pounds green beans
3 smoked turkey legs
4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups white wine
2 bay leaves
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a large pot over high heat
Bring to boil and reduce to rapid simmer. You want evaporation, so don't turn it down too low.
Partially cover and cook until almost all liquid has evaporated. This should take a couple hours, but just keep an eye, stir every now and then.
Remove turkey legs, shred meat from bones. Discard skin, bones, and cartilage.
Return meat to pot and stir to combine.
Notes
You can use turkey wings or legs. I've never had trouble finding these in the meat department of my local stores.
If you want to use ham or ham hocks, just add it in the same manner as the turkey. I'd use 3-4 hocks, or a small ham cut into a few large chunks.
- Cook Time: 2 hours
Buttery Yeast Rolls
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 24 rolls
Description
Made from store-bought frozen dough and dressed up with garlicky honey butter, these are always the first to disappear (especially with my kids around) and are such a welcome and much needed "cheat" on the big day.
Ingredients
One package store-bought yeast roll dough balls (I use Bridgford Parkerhouse Style)
1 stick salted butter
¼ cup honey
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
Instructions
Place garlic, butter, and honey in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat.
pour about ¼ of mixture in bottom of 9 x 13 baking pan
place dough balls evenly into pan.
brush more butter mixture over each dough ball.
Cover and place in a warm place to rise for several hours until dough has thawed and risen to double its size. Just follow the instructions on the package, but I find mine takes a little longer to rise.
Once dough has risen and before placing in oven, brush (or pour) a little more honey butter mixture generously over dough balls, holding back just enough to brush over finished rolls .
Bake as instructed.
Brush tops with remaining honey butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
If you have teenage boys, hide these until you're ready for dinner or they will disappear at an alarming rate!
- Prep Time: 2 to 3 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Deviled Eggs
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 12 eggs
Description
Classic deviled eggs made extra devilish with a heavy dose of spicy mustard and horseradish.
Ingredients
a dozen room temperature eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
fresh dill for garnish (optional)
4 cups of ice
Instructions
Instant Pot:
Place 1 cup water in Instant Pot, place rack in pot, place 12 eggs on rack
close lid, flip switch to "sealing" and set on manual for 3 minutes
once time is up, release steam and open as soon as it unlocks
Carefully add ice to pot and allow eggs to cool.
To boil eggs on stove top:
place eggs in cold water just to cover.
place over high heat.
As soon as water boils, remove from heat, cover and let sit 11 minutes
remove from hot water and cover in ice.
Once eggs are cool to touch, peel.
At this point you can go the traditional route and slice them right down the middle. Orrrrr, you can slice just the top off, a tiny sliver off the bottom so they can stand up without rolling and make them a little differently. Either way, scoop the yolks into a bowl carefully so you don't crack the whites.
Use a fork to mash up the yolks, if you want it really smooth you can press through a fine mesh strainer with a wooden spoon.
Add mayo, mustards, and horseradish to yolks and mix well.
Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to your preference.
If you have piping tips, fit a plastic bag with a large star or round tip, scoop yolk mixture into bag, and fill eggs.
Garnish with dill or a sprinkle of paprika and serve!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
Cranberry Sauce
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Description
Naturally sweetened with shredded apple and apple cider, this ruby red, whole cranberry sauce is the perfect tart and tangy counterpoint to all of the richness on the Thanksgiving table. It is also delicious smeared on a cracker with some soft Brie cheese!
Ingredients
- 2 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries
- 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
- 2 cups apple cider or juice
- 1 apple, peeled and grated
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a large saucepan.
cook over medium high heat until liquid reduces and cranberries pop.
Let cool to room temp and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Pecans
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Description
The perfect balance of sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy, these roasted sweet potato halves are my answer to the sweet potato casserole and they couldn't be easier.
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes
¼ cup oil, I use olive but you could use any cooking oil you prefer
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
½ cup toasted and chopped pecans
a few sprigs fresh thyme for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400
slice each potato in half lengthwise, then using a small sharp knife, score the flesh in a diamond pattern.
once all potatoes are prepped, place on baking sheet and drizzle with oil and salt and pepper.
Rub to coat on all sides, then place potatoes cut side down on baking sheet.
Roast for 30 minutes
Flip and roast for another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, place on serving plate or tray and top with pecans, blue cheese, and herbs.
Notes
If you don't love blue cheese, feel free to use crumbled goat cheese, boursin, or feta.
Make sure you are using plenty of oil. Use more than the ¼ cup if you think you need it. Sweet potatoes will stick terribly to your baking tray if you don't oil it generously.
These are great at room temp.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: oven roasting
Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Prosciutto and Herbs
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Description
Roasty, toasty, salty and addictive. This is my favorite way to cook Brussels Sprouts. If oven space is limited, make these ahead and just warm them up or serve at room temperature.
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half
4 slices prosciutto
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
a few sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
a good, thick, aged balsamic for serving (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450.
Place 4 slices of prosciutto in a flat, even layer on a baking sheet so that they do not overlap.
Place in oven and roast for no more than 5 minutes. You really need to watch them because they can burn quickly.
Once crisp, remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare the sprouts.
Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
Add oil and butter and swirl or stir to coat pan evenly.
Place brussels in pan, cut side down in a single layer.
Allow to cook without stirring for 3-5 minutes until deeply brown, but not black. Just keep an eye on them and peek underneath a few as they are cooking.
Once they are nice and brown on the cut sides, stir, add more oil if they look dry, and place in oven for 5-10 minutes until tender, but still crisp and green.
Crumble prosciutto over, drizzle with thick balsamic if desired, and serve!
Notes
If oven space really is limited, you can finish these entirely on the stove top. Just continue cooking over medium heat while tossing frequently so they don't get too brown on one side. I've done this and it works great.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
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