Which side dish is truly number one?

Thanksgiving meal is full of delicious options

In a battle between stuffing vs. cranberry sauce, which would come out on top? What about between green bean casserole vs. rolls?

The Today Show made a “Sidesgiving Bracket Challenge” and asked viewers to pick their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, pitting one favorite against another.

By Wednesday, the challenge was on round 3, down to just four side dishes remaining.

The previous two rounds were marked with some delicious defeats.

• Mashed potatoes beat sweet potato casserole before getting knocked out by stuffing (which beat out cornbread to advance).

• Mac and cheese beat out creamed corn before losing to green bean casserole (which itself defeated roasted squash to advance).

• Glazed carrots beat creamed spinach, then lost to cranberry sauce, which advanced by defeating candied yams.

• And Brussels sprouts won over collard greens, before getting knocked out by rolls (which advanced over biscuits in the first round).

The Thanksgiving festivities tend to be anchored around the dinner table, and in many families, what’s served up each year is a time-honored tradition.

In setting up a bracket challenge like the Today Show’s, one can see how biscuits vs. rolls makes sense, or mashed potatoes vs. sweet potato casserole.

But now that the challenge is on to the “Flavorful Four,” the pairings are substantially different.

Stuffing vs. cranberry sauce? Green bean casserole vs. rolls? It’s like comparing apples and oranges!

The Today Show notes that turkey is in a category all its own, and so wasn’t included in the challenge.

But what about those other two stalwarts on the table: gravy and pumpkin pie?

In some families, gravy is the true star … it’s the deliciousness that ties the whole meal together!

What do you think, readers? If you had to name one dish the king of the Thanksgiving meal, which would it be? Would you agree with one of the final four of stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole or rolls? Or would you go with one of the other options, like yummy mashed potatoes?

Let us know! Share your thoughts – send in a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.

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