The Thanksgiving Post, Finally [Part 2 - Sides]

Ok so here's the deal- Diana Ross sucks without The Supremes.  I mean you look at her these days and she is in dire need of support.  Single acts get old fast.  How much straight turkey can you eat?  I don't think very much.  We have to remember to give credit to the sides, because chances are that is really where it all began.

Legendary Family Sweet Potato Casserole- no marshmellows allowed!

My number one favorite Thanksgiving side dish of all time is sweet potato casserole.  This dish is so good it is now enjoyed by several different families each year.  There is a base of simple, sweet potato puree and then a crunchy topping of corn flakes and pecans. 

I've been eating it for so long that I honestly don't think it's Thanksgiving until I've burnt the roof of my mouth on that molten lava hot filling.  Unfortunately, I haven't been eating it long enough to have learned my lesson.

The highlight of the casserole is that there is no room for that sugary white goo on top.  A piece of me dies inside every time I see casserole laden in marshmallows.  I don't think they were at the first thanksgiving.  After all, the actual plant is indigenous to western Asia and Europe.

Another side dish prepared this year was brussels sprouts.  Every dish needs a green and brussels sprouts happen to be quite healthy.  I don't know why they're so underused.  It seems that many baby boomers were terrorized as children by their parents, who would boil the suckers till they were falling apart and of a color similar to the Mucinex antagonist.

Brussels Sprouts cooked in cream with bacon- because every meal needs a green.

Brussels sprouts are very nutritious and tasty, when properly prepared.  Rule number one is to never boil them.  Rule number two is to pair with bacon.  Or as an alternative, you could pair bacon with a few brussels sprouts.  My favorite preparation is to roast them in the oven for an hour at 350 Dg.  The bitter leaf becomes a beautifully browned, slightly sweet, chewy bite.

If you're in a rush it's ok to cook them in liquid to expedite the process.  I recommend heavy cream.  When was the last time you met someone that didn't like cream?  Not liking cream is like not liking cute little puppies, and is arguably un-American.  Arguably.

After sweet potato casserole the next best side is stuffing.  There are just a plethora of goodies in it.  Bread, sausage, apple, craisins, and more bread.  I suppose some people add celery but it doesn't contribute any to the dish.  Stuffing is not only great by itself, but is a wonderful vessel for gravy.

Stuffing and I are like Turner and Hooch- whatever that means.

Stuffing is easy to prepare in the oven but we've prepared it in the crock pot as well.  This helps conserve oven space as well as do a good job of keeping the stuffing moist.  If the stuffing isn't dried out there isn't a need to smother it in gravy.  Stuffing and gravy is good, but stuffing prepared properly is delicious on its own.  Just be sure to have a healthy amount of stock in there.

I don't think it's a traditional Thanksgiving dish, but pearl onions in cheese sauce appears at my family table every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The onions are small and delicate, and the cheese sauce is delicious- mostly because it's full of cheese.

Pearl Onions and Cheese Sauce- full of calcium.

This is the quickest side to prepare assuming you don't buy fresh pearl onions that have to be prepped.  There are magic little glass containers full of pre-cooked pearl onions in liquid.  The onions taste pretty good straight out.  The added bonus is that no further cooking has to be done, just warming the onions through.

The cheese sauce isn't microwaved velveeta.  We start with one of the four mother sauces, bechamel.  A simple bechamel, or white sauce, can be acheived by making a roux out of equal parts flour and butter, then adding milk, and stirring like crazy.  The thickness is determined by the amount of milk added and the extent the roux is cooked.  The bechamel for the cheese sauce starts with a blonde roux.  Once the bechamel is done, we stir in a ton of grated cheese [to taste] and season with salt and pepper. 

At this point all that needs to be done is strain the pearl onions and throw them in the pot.  The cheese sauce will warm them through.  Easy.

Duck Fat Mashed Potatoes with Horseradish is great, but ultimately overwhelmed by the three bird gravy

The Duck Fat Mashed Potatoes with Horseradish made another appearance.  Don't think I PR'd, but this was another solid 35-40 minute dish.  Boiled Idaho russet potatoes, drained, put back on heat, dried, mashed, added milk, mashed more, seasoned, mashed more, added duck fat, and then a final mash.  An idea was nominated to use buttermilk instead of the usual non-sour milk, but I shot it down because Thanksgiving is not the best time to do experimentation.  I imagine it would add a distinguishable tangyness to the dish, or completely ruin it.  I'll make a test batch at a later date.

I like to leave the skins in because they're delicious, and contain most of the fiber and nutrients of the potato.  After all, Thanksgiving is about feeding family and people you care about.  Give them fiber.

If you are replicating the dish for a hot date I would recommend a chive garnish.  Something green and sexy.

After hours of hard work, we have a wonderful meal.  All sides made were backstabbing-free.  Friday, I'll briefly discuss the scratch pies my mom made to conclude the series.

On average, people consume 3000 calories at their Thanksgiving meal. Wimps.

In short-

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 1 large can (4lbs) of sweet potatoes
• 3/4 stick of butter
• dash of cinnamon or nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of canned evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup of sugar

1. Warm potatoes (in microwave or on stove), drain juices
2. Cream butter, eggs, and sugar
3. Add milk and cinnamon
4. Pour mixture into a 9"x12" buttered pan
5. Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes

Topping:

• 1 cup crushed corn flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 stick of butter

1. Mix, then spread over casserole
2. Bake for an additional 20 minutes
3. Devour

Comments

[toni cramer]

do you mash or whip the sweet potatoes before you add the creamed mixture? This is a favorite of mine, but i've never made it.
The cheesy pearl onions sound really wonderful!