What are your Thanksgiving sides?

It’s October now so that means it’s not too early to start talking about what we’re going to eat on Thanksgiving anymore.

Some families have the exact same thing every single year and I get that. It’s a meal we look forward to all year long.

In my family we tend to mix it up. There is always turkey and dressing, homemade rolls and turkey gravy and a cranberry Jell-O dish.

But the sides change from year to year. Kathy used to always have to have green bean casserole so she was responsible for making that. I have to admit that I enjoy a little helping of that once a year too.

Another thing Kathy and Mom always wanted to have is a “salad” made from canned asparagus which I’ve never touched. Very few things smell as awful as canned asparagus in my humble opinion. I love fresh asparagus though.

I’ve seen this first potato recipe a few different places lately and even though each one is different, they all look good. I could see dipping these in some turkey gravy. Buy the good Parmesan cheese for this dish.

Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

1 tbsp oil

1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

1 tablespoon oil

1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes, cut in half

Salt and pepper to taste

Brush the oil on the bottom of a baking dish and sprinkle on the Parmesan.

In a bowl toss the potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper until well coated, and then press into the Parmesan with the cut side down in a single layer.

Roast in a preheated 400 degree oven until the Parmesan is nice and golden brown and the potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes, before removing from the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes before breaking them apart. The Parmesan forms a crunchy crust on the bottom of each potato.

—kwc—

I remember making mashed sweet potatoes one year with just salt, pepper and butter and a little bit of chipotle in adobo. That was pretty good but not particularly Thanksgiving-y.

I made Brussels sprouts another year and everyone acted like they were going to die. They were very good though. I don’t remember the exact recipe but I remember it had crispy bacon in it so why wouldn’t it be good? It was similar to this one.

Cheesy Brussels Sprout Bake

5 slices bacon

3 tbsp butter

2 small shallots, minced

2 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved

Kosher salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar

1/2 cup shredded Gruyère

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, then chop. Discard some of the bacon grease.

Return skillet to medium heat and melt butter. Add shallots and Brussels sprouts and season with salt and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and drizzle with heavy cream, then top with both cheeses and bacon.

Bake until cheese is bubbly, 12 to 15 minutes. If your cheese isn't golden, switch oven to broil and broil 1 minute.