My Thanksgiving: Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is not complete without scrumptious side dishes to accompany the juicy main star – The Turkey.  Although I try to experiment with new side dishes every year, these are a few traditional side dishes that are must haves at my house yearly to compliment the delicious turkey.  The ingredients are pretty inexpensive to buy, the recipes are super easy to make, the food taste fantastic.  Try it.

Ingredients

Turkey Gravy
1/4 cup turkey fat drippings
1/4 cup all purpose Flour
1 can chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
7-8 pounds gold potatoes or russets, peeled and cut in uniform pieces
Water
4-5 heads of garlic, roasted
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of half and half
1/4 cup of heavy cream
kosher salt and pepper

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
2 lb bag of Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of coarse ground pepper

Cranberry Sauce
1 16-ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of orange juice
1 cinnamon stick

Steps

Turkey Gravy – Whisk turkey fat dripping and all purpose flour until a dark, caramel color roux forms.  Slowly stir in broth and whisk.  Season with salt and pepper and let gravy reduce for 10-15 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes – Slice top of garlic bulb off, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Roast Garlic in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Press bottom of garlic head to squeeze garlic from its paper into a small bowl.  Mash garlic into a paste.  Bring potatoes to a boil and cook for 25 minutes or until you can pierce a fork in the potato with no resistance.  Drain water.  Add garlic, butter, half and half, cream to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher and stir until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to serving tray and serve.  If making in advance, reheat in oven at 350 degrees until hot.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts –Toss Brussels Sprouts in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and ground pepper. Spread on a sheet pan and roast in oven at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until it the Brussels sprouts start crisping up and form a dark char-like color. Shake pan every 15 minutes or so to ensure the Brussels sprouts cook evenly.

Cranberry Sauce – Combine all ingredients in medium sauce pan.  Bring to boil and reduce the heat to let simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens.