People get ready, there’s a holiday coming, and holiday side dish recipes are on the menu.
Home is where the heart and a mighty holiday hunger is.
The Places In The Home gang holiday side dish requests are noted and the recipes selected.
I like to bring at least one new or improved upon recipe with the accent mark on easy to the holiday table.
This Thanksgiving I am paying homage to my great-grandmother by serving two of her favorite dishes.
Country Living Magazine provides the recipe for English Pea Salad and Martha Stewart comes through with the recipe for Glazed Pearl Onions.
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole is a must have, must serve at our holiday dinner table, and if it’s Thanksgiving, it is definitely cornbread dressing time at our house.
I am most intrigued with a new recipe from the Kitchn, Make-Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole.
I considered eliminating one of the starches but reasoned it out with simple math.
Starches + tryptophan= full, satisfied and sleepy husbands, fathers, sons, brothers and nephews, and that means guilt free Black Friday shopping, keyboard style.
English Pea Salad
Ingredients
2 large hard-boiled eggs, whites chopped and yolks crumbled
1 (½ cup) yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
2 ounce(s) (½ cup) Cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup(s) mayonnaise
½ cup(s) sour cream
3 tablespoon(s) dried basil
2 tablespoon(s) finely chopped red onion
2 teaspoon(s) chopped pimiento
1 teaspoon(s) apple-cider vinegar
1 teaspoon(s) sugar
1 teaspoon(s) soul-food seasoning or seasoned salt
1 teaspoon(s) granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
2 dash(es) hot sauce
60 ounce(s) (four 15-ounce cans) early peas (such as Le Sueur), drained
Directions
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the peas, mixing well. Then stir in the peas. Refrigerate the salad for at least 10 hours or up to overnight. Serve at room temperature.
Photo- Clive Streeter
Glazed Pearl Onions
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound frozen pearl onions, thawed and patted dry
2 teaspoons sugar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
Directions
Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onions. Cook, tossing occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add 2/3 cup water and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
Make-Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole
Ingredients
3 pounds small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3-inch chunks
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 whole bay leaf
4 (3-inch) thyme sprigs
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream (full-fat)
¾ to 1 cup whole milk, warmed
1 teaspoon seasoned salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits and chilled
Directions
Generously butter a shallow 2 ½-quart gratin dish or baking dish.
Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water to a depth of 2 inches. Add the kosher salt, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Do not let the potatoes break apart or become waterlogged. Drain well and let stand until the potatoes steam dry and their edges look chalky, about 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and thyme stems.
Press the hot potatoes and garlic through a food mill or ricer into a large bowl. Alternatively, mash them as smooth as possible with a hand-held potato masher.
Add the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and ¾ cup of the milk to the warm potatoes; stir until smooth. The mixture will firm up as it chills overnight, so at this point it should be slightly softer than you want to serve it. Season with seasoned salt and pepper.
Scrape the potatoes into the prepared dish and smooth the top. Dot the top with the bits of chilled butter. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days ahead.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are heated through, about 1 hour. Serve warm. Serves 6 to 8
– The Kitchn
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
½ cup melted butter
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is browned. Serves 6 to 8.
