3 Simple Holiday Sides!

Just days until Thanksgiving and it’s time to get down to business.

(If you’re on bird duty this year, Godspeed.)

Today, let’s discuss the most important part of the Thanksgiving Day feast— the sides!

Below, you’ll find my three favorite side dishes, all of which would be excellent additions to your holiday spread.

I’m hoping at least one of them will be the star of your table on Thursday.

Just a heads up, you should probably start practicing what I like to call “the humble smile.”

Think gracious with a touch of “it was nothing, really!”

The compliments on your domestic skills are going to be out of control, and you don’t want to seem overly smug…

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed clean (I use Yukon Gold)

1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 head of roasted garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pepper to taste

Garnish: chives or fresh dill

To Roast The Garlic: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cut off the top inch of the garlic bulb. You want to cut off enough of the top so that most, if not all, of the cloves are exposed.

Drizzle garlic with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the entire bulb in a piece of foil and pop on a rimmed baking sheet or into a shallow baking dish.

Place garlic in the oven and roast for about 30-40 minutes or until the garlic is golden brown and nice and creamy.

To Make Potatoes: Cut potatoes into hearty chunks. Place into a medium sized pot and cover with enough water to come about an inch above the potatoes. Place over a high heat and bring to a boil. Allow potatoes to boil for about 8-10 minutes or until the chunks are fork tender.

Drain water from potatoes and put the potatoes back into the warm pot. Add olive oil, roasted garlic cloves, salt and pepper.

Use potato masher (or the back of a fork) to mash the potatoes until you have a nice, hearty, rustic mash. Adjust seasonings and enjoy!

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease a sheet pan or line it with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together.

Scatter the coated Brussels sprouts on the prepared pan, cut sides down, pressing extra of the breadcrumb/olive oil/spice mixture into the sprouts as you go.

Bake for 17 minutes. Flip, then bake for another 8 minutes.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 apple, sliced

6 cups peeled & chopped butternut squash (1 small butternut squash yields ~6 cups)

1 pinch each sea salt + black pepper (plus more to taste)

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk

4 cups vegetable broth (plus more depending on how thin you like your soup)

Garnish: pumpkin seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

On a baking sheet, add the sliced onion, apple and butternut squash. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from over and add to a large pot with vegetable broth, curry powder and coconut milk.

Bring to a low boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until butternut squash is fork tender.

Use an immersion blender, or transfer soup to a blender, and purée on high until creamy and smooth. If using a blender, return soup back to pot.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.