Category Archives: Sides

Asian Coleslaw

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Let’s get this out of the way right up front: I don’t like coleslaw. I never have. There, I said it. This weekend I was making Stephanie O’Dea’s fantastic Shredded Beef Korean Taco recipe (highly recommended), and I decided it needed a little something more. Not in the recipe itself, but in the toppings. This slaw, along with Sriracha for the guests to add to their liking, turned out to be the perfect companion.

Like any coleslaw, this turns soggy quickly. Your best bet is to mix it no more than 45 minutes before serving.

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame chili oil

Method:

Shred the cabbage

Add everything to a bowl and stir together well. That’s it. Add it to tacos.

Notes:

I didn’t measure the ingredients as carefully as I normally do, so you may need to tweak them to your liking. One reason I don’t normally like coleslaw is that it’s just too soupy. So I prefer to use just enough mayo to coat the cabbage leaves. You may like more.

Baby Bleu Ranch Dressing

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Ingredients:

2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
8 ounces cambozola cheese
1 teaspoon dried chives
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Method:

Slice the cheese into chunks, add everything to the food processor, and give it a spin on high for about 30 seconds, or until it’s smooth and creamy. Let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Serve.

Variation:

Use less (or no) buttermilk to create a thick dip for chips or veggies.

Pizza Lovers’ Potatoes

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Ingredients:

3.5 oz sliced pepperoni
1 lb hot Italian sausage
6 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups milk
½ pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 ½ pounds potatoes, frozen shredded

Method:

Cook the sausage (without the casings) in a pan. Remove as much grease as you can and set aside.

While the oven is preheating to 375, melt the butter in a pan. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Whisk in the flour and salt and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly.
Reduce heat to low, and stir in cheese until melted.

Put your shredded potatoes in a baking dish and pour the cheesy liquid over the top. Add the cooked sausage and stir it all together.

Bake, covered for 35 minutes. Uncover, top with pepperoni, and bake 25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and pepperoni is crisp.

Perfect Baked Potato

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Ingredients:

Medium to large Russet potatoes
Olive oil
Coarse kosher salt
Canned Parmesan cheese

Method:

Wash and dry the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 350.

Coat the potatoes with a very thin sheen of olive oil, then rub them generously with salt and Parmesan.

Bake for an hour (or longer for larger potatoes) directly on the oven rack until the outside just starts to crisp up. It’s a good idea to place a drip pan on the rack below the spuds.

Best Turkey Gravy Ever

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Ingredients:

32 oz liquid (drippings and chicken stock)
1/8 cup red wine
2 tablespoons & 1 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons & 1 teaspoon flour
3 teaspoons brown gravy mix
3 teaspoons onion gravy mix
1/2teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Method:

Make a roux with the butter and flour.

Remove the turkey from the pan, and deglze with the wine.

Seperate the drippings from the oil, then add the drippings to a measuring cup. Top the measuring cup off with enough chicken stock to make 32 ounces of liquid.

Slowly add the liquid to the roux, whisking all the while.

Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk like a mofo. Bring to a boil, then reducing to a simmer. Cook until desired consistency is reached.

Baked Beans

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Ingredients:

1 lb. Bacon, cut into 1/4″ slivers and fry
15 ounces Black beans, drained, rinsed and air-dried
15 ounces Dark red kidney beans, drained, rinsed and air-dried
43 ounces Bush’s Original Baked Beans
1 Large sweet onion, finely chopped
1 Anaheim chilie, blistered, peeled and finely chopped
1 Poblano chilie, blistered, peeled and finely chopped
5 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce
1 ½ cups Firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup Dijon mustard

Method:

Stir everything up in a large turkey pan, cover in foil, and cook at 350° for 1 hour.

Variations:

As is, this dish is very sweet and very mild. For spicier beans, add some diced chipotle chilies, or use substitute half the BBQ sauce for a spicier variety.

If you own a smoker, try cooking them with a little pecan for 10 minutes before moving them to the oven.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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Ingredients:

1 (10 lb) bag of potatoes
32 ounces sour cream
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
3 bulbs roasted garlic
1 lb butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Method:

Scrub the potatoes clean. Feel free to peel them too, if that’s your thing, but I like to leave the peels on.

Cut the potatoes into 3/4″ slices, and boil, in a giant pot, until soft.

Put the potatoes back in the giant pot and mash by hand. Add the rest of the ingredients, then whip with an electric mixer. I like to leave them a little lumpy.

Serve with your favorite gravy, and fresh-ground black pepper.

Variations:

Adding a bag of thawed mixed veggies is a nice touch.