Supporting Sides Are Important

Happy Thanksgiving from the Nola Nerd Couple!

Thanksgiving’s centerpiece is the turkey.  However, the star needs some sides to go with it.  Here are a couple of sides that can be made quickly that other people enjoy:

Green Bean Casserole:  This is one of the dishes that I make that I hate.  However, every time I make it people enjoy it and we rarely have seconds.  The amount of ingredients is based on the size of your dish.  Add enough green beans

to  fill the dish about three-quarters to the top. Next, use enough cream of mushroom soup to completely mix with the green beans.  Then throw in some cajun seasoning and Worcestershire sauce (I’m very liberal with both).  Add some milk for extra crispiness if you desire.  Cover with pre-fried onion rings and add another seasoning of cajun seasoning.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  And in my case, watch other people enjoy.

Artichoke Au Gratin: Again, used enough canned artichokes to fill the dish you

cooking with.  However, I would chop them before you put them in the dish. Combine the artichokes with evaporated milk (one 5 oz can for every can of artichokes you use), parmesan cheese to your liking and cover with crushed croutons, of which I usually choose garlic croutons. You can add some more parmesan here as well. Cook for 15 minutes at 50 degrees or until it bubbles up.

Dauphinoise Potatoes:  Slice some potatoes about 1/8 inch round.  Briefly boil them, about 10 minutes.  Drain the water and add some heavy cream or evaporated milk (about 5 oz for 2 people so multiply from there). Bring this to a boil and cook for 5 more minutes. Add parmesan to taste.  Transfer to baking dish and top with plenty of parmesan.  Cook for 15 minutes or until the parmesan browns somewhat.

Smothered Potatoes with Sausage: Slice and brown the sausage first. Typically, I use andouille, but any good smoked sausage would do. Then add quartered potatoes (I like to use red) and enough water to cover. Bring to low boil and stir. The more you stir the better the dish will be. When water boils out, repeat until you have it tasting

like you want it to. This is one of those dishes that get better the longer you cook them. It is also best in a cast iron, but if you want to cook and forget, check out this method.

These are just easy sides that don’t that much time and have ingredients that are usually on hand. However, using real parmesan will improve the quality of the middle two dishes.

What are your go to sides?

What sides do you like to make for Thanksgiving? Desserts? Let’s discuss!

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