Serve creative sides to oohs, aahs, awwws
It’s a given that turkey gets the star treatment in the oven in the hours leading up to the meal and on the table when the feast begins.
Side dishes are, well, pushed to the side in the oven, on the table, and when it comes to the conversation. It is always about how the turkey chef got up early that morning to prep the bird but never about the made-fromscratch green bean side. Or there would be the endless talk about what kind of time went into buying the right bird from the one-ofkind source and never about how each Brussels sprout was picked by hand from a tray of bruised ones.
We get it about how vegetables can never shake off being sidekicks, but instead of wallowing aboutit, how about giving the sides their due by making them a day ahead. This way they, too, can get theirshare of awwws and aahs!
For a Brussels sprouts slaw with mustard dressing and mapleglazed pecans, the nuts can be made two days ahead and stored in an airtight container. The slaw can be prepared a day ahead, and so can the dressing, each stored separately in the refrigerator. On the day of, warm the slaw, stir in the dressing and top with pecans..
Instead of competing for oven space and making a green bean casserole, think of green beans tossed with a sweet and salty sauce made with honey, soy sauce, garlic and chili pepper flakes. The beans can be cooked and the sauce whisked a day ahead. On gobble day, toss the beans and sauce together and zap them in the microwave.
Neither of the sides need to be served piping hot; room temperature is just fine. They can be quietly laid out on the table while the fussing and anxiety continue over the turkey.