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This blog post was originally published on November 6th, 2019.

Every year around this time, I get lots of people searching the site for Thanksgiving sides! And I totally understand why. The whole turkey deal is pretty standard, but the real stars of the show at Thanksgiving time (in my humble, Foodie opinion) are the side dishes! And lots of us need to come up with side dish options for when we go to other people’s houses for Thanksgiving as well.  Never fear, I have a few dishes this year that are aces up your sleeve! Today I’m sharing three of my favorite side dishes to make: my Sausage & Thyme Stuffing, my Garlicky Goat Cheese & Chive Whipped Potatoes, and the yummiest Roasted Parsnips & Carrots with Pickled Currant Vinaigrette.  

Sausage & Thyme Stuffing

Look no further.  This is the stuffing you need to make this year.  Stuffing is by far my favorite component of the Thanksgiving spread (I top mine with globs of homemade cranberry sauce), and this one is so hearty and delicious that you can even enjoy it alone! When I’m craving that Holiday taste I will whip this up for dinner and make a big green salad to go with it. 

Ingredients…

• 1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing and baking
• 10 cups bread from 2 crusty white loaves, cut in to 1-inch cubes and dried out overnight
• ¼ cup Extra Virgin olive oil
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, coarsely chopped in to ½ inch pieces
• Kosher Salt and Black pepper
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, stems removed
• ½ cup Sherry
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups chicken stock

Recipe…

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Place the cubed bread in a very large bowl, or pot. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a wooden spoon. When the sausage is browned and cooked through (Approximately 10 minutes), transfer to the bread bowl using a slotted spoon. Add the onions and celery to the pan, and season with Salt and Pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions become translucent and soften (Approximately 5-7 minutes). Then add the garlic, apple and thyme and continue cooking until the apple is soft and the onions have browned (5 minutes). Add the onion mixture to the bread bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add the sherry to the pan, scraping up browned bits, until the sherry is almost evaporated (Approximately 2 minutes). Add the stick of butter to the sherry and and cook, stirring until it is melted together. Drizzle over the bread mixture. Next, whisk the eggs and 2 cups of the chicken stock in a medium bowl, and pour over the bread mixture. Toss while seasoning with salt and pepper. Add more stock ¼ cup at a time until the bread is well hydrated but not soggy. Pour your stuffing in to your baking dish, and dot with a few pats of butter. Cover with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes. Increase oven temperatures to 450 degrees and remove the tinfoil. Continue to bake until the top is golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Allow the stuffing to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Garlicky Goat Cheese & Chive Whipped Potatoes

Ingredients…

• 4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and halved
• 1 head of garlic, tops slices off
• 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup *Hot* whole milk (I use goat milk)
• 1 1/2 sticks butter at room temp
• 1 small log of goat cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Recipe…

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a small baking dish, drizzle olive oil over the head of garlic. Roast for 30-35 minutes until the garlic is golden and tender.  Carefully remove from the oven and set aside to cool.  Meanwhile,in a large pot, place the potatoes and cover with cold water.  Boil until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes, and return to the pot.  Add in the hot milk, and roughly mash the potatoes with a fork.  With a mixer on low or medium low, begin to whip the potatoes.  Add in the butter chunk by chunk, adding in a splash more milk or two if needed to loosen.  Add the goat cheese in chunks. Add the cloves of garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Use 3/4 of the chives to mix in to the potatoes, and sprinkle the rest on top.  Enjoy!

Parsnips & Carrots with Pickled Currant Vinaigrette

I love this dish because it’s vegetarian, but still really hearty and dynamic.  Even non-veggie lovers enjoy it! I saw the recipe originally in Bon Appetit but then changed it a bit to make it simpler and to add carrots. 

Ingredients…

• 1lb parsnips, split down the middle
• 1lb large carrots, split down the middle
• 2 heads of garlic
• 3 sprigs rosemary, divided, plus 1 tbsp. rosemary leaves for serving
• 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup dried currants
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup plus 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Recipe…

Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine parsnips, carrots, garlic, 2 rosemary sprigs, and 1 tbsp. salt in a baking dish; turn garlic cut side down. Pour oil over. Roast 45 minutes. Remove from oven and turn parsnips and carrots over, and take out the garlic and set aside to cool. Return the parsnips and carrots to the oven and roast until a knife easily slides through flesh, for another 45 minutes. Meanwhile, bring currants, sugar, ½ cup vinegar, remaining 1 tsp. salt, remaining rosemary sprig, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by three-quarters. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in remaining 1 tbsp. vinegar. After 45 minutes, remove parsnips and carrots from the oven, and after letting cool for a short while, remove them from the baking dish, letting excess oil drip off, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Heat a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Arrange a few parsnips and carrots in skillet in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown and charred in spots, for about 4 minutes, repeating this step in batches until all the parsnips and carrots are golden brown. Alternatively, you can broil them, turning halfway through, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to a platter and spoon the currant sauce over. Top with reserved garlic and rosemary leaves. Enjoy!

Photographs by Julia Dags