Thanksgiving Sides 2013

Baked Yams

7 or 8 yams

1/2 stick unsalted butter

zest of 1 orange

cinnamon

nutmeg

allspice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

Boil yams and let cool. When at room temperature, peel and set aside. Then, mash them. Add the spices, orange zest, and half of the brown sugar. Mix the yams and other ingredients very well. Put into a large baking dish. Top the yams with remaining brown sugar and drizzle with maple syrup. Then, cut the stick of butter into small pieces and plop onto the yams. Let bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Enjoy! 

Pre-baking

Ready to eat! 

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

10 Idaho potatoes

4 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan

1 sprig of rosemary

salt

pepper

Boil the potatoes with salt and garlic cloves. Remove the potatoes from the water and set them aside. Save the water! It will be used later. Peel the potatoes and place them into a potato ricer. I was lucky enough that I could use my grandmother's! Throw in the garlic. Once the potatoes and garlic have gone through the ricer, place the mixture into a baking dish or bowl. Add the olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Don't use too much salt, though, because the parmesan cheese has additional flavor and salt content to the dish. Grab the water that was used for boiling, and add 1/2 cup into the potato mixture, a little bit at a time. Top the potato mixture with rosemary and the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The parmesan cheese will add a nice crust. Enjoy! 

Before

After

Grilled Asparagus

2 bundles of asparagus

salt

pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Top all asparagus with salt, pepper, and olive oil and grill for 10-15 minutes, turning the asparagus over consistently to make sure it is cooked evenly on all sides. Very easy, yet super delicious. Enjoy! 

Serious nom noms! 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2 (cup) containers of brussel sprouts

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

cumin

First, cut off the stems of the brussel sprouts. Coriander is a great spice to add to this mixture, but the cumin itself adds a nice, earthy flavor that goes great with fall foods. Mix all ingredients together and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. You will see that the brussel sprouts will begin to caramelize and turn a nice brownish color on top. Enjoy!

Ready to enjoy! 

Turkey Gravy

2 cups of turkey juice (the juices came from a turkey that was baked with butter, sage, thyme, and rosemary)

1 cup flour

1/2 stick butter

2 cups of water

salt

pepper

Set your turkey juice aside. In a small pot, make a rue. Add 1/2 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of flour at medium heat. Little by little, add the turkey juice, water, and more flour. Add salt and pepper to taste as you go. Make sure you are diligent about watching your gravy. The secret to a good gravy is making sure the flour doesn't clump up. The flour is a great thickener, so no corn starch is necessary. Keep your gravy at medium heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. It should be a light brown-gold color. Simply delicious! 

Yum! 

My Thanksgiving plate. Additional dishes featured: oven-roasted turkey, stuffing with sausage, apples, and chestnuts, and cranberry sauce with orange rind. Simply delicious, and all home-made.