Calling all cooks

[Abagadro]

I need a starchy side dish for a thanksgiving meal that has a main dish of standing rib roast.  I'd generally just do mashed potato but that's kinda boring so I want to branch out a bit.

Any suggestions?

[plangent]

Potato cakes.  I lurrrrve potato cakes.

[Nazrat]

Baked sweet potates?

Sweet potatoe casserole?

[Abagadro]

Ok, I should caveat that with I despise sweet potatoes and yams.

[Paelos]

Broccoli rice casserole
Baked Cheese Grits
Baked Potato Casserole
Squash Casserole
Corn Bake

[Rasix]

A good risotto might do for you.

[Nazrat]

Ok, I should caveat that with I despise sweet potatoes and yams.

Damn blue states!  :)

[UD_Delt]

I would still do mashed potatoes as that is the more traditional side with a dish like that but you can fancy them up a bit...

Kind of a twice baked mashed potatoe that you can prepare ahead of time. My mom has made similar dishes in the past and these are incredibly good.
http://thanksgiving.allrecipes.com/AZ/DyBfrMshdPtts.asp

Another favorite that the wife likes to make are roasted garlic mashed potatoes. These would probably go really well with a rib roast:
http://thanksgiving.allrecipes.com/AZ/RoastedGarlicMashedPotatoe.asp


There's alsp about a billion more recipes at http://www.allrecipes.com/.

[DarkDryad]

Roasted Garlic mashed taters is the guuuud! They go well with a roast as well.

[WayAbvPar]

A few thoughts-

Creamy Hashbrown Bake

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Potatoes and Onions

Macaroni and Cheese

Check Cooking,com, Epicurious or Food Network for all kinds of ideas.

Damn, now I am starving.

[Abagadro]

Ok, I should caveat that with I despise sweet potatoes and yams.

Damn blue states!  :)

I live in the reddest of the red states. I still hate fucking yams though.  I don't know about you all out there, but here in Utah (home of some of THE worst cooking anywhere) they always put marshmellows on yams. Blech.

Thanks for the ideas folks. Keep em coming.

[Paelos]

I only eat sweet potatoes in pie form. That is the bomb here below the mason-dixon.

[Shockeye]

Grits

[Samwise]

Wild rice is good.  Cook it in chicken stock with some sauteed onion and chopped pecans.  Mmm mm.

[Abagadro]

Ok, wayabvpar's suggestion of Mac'n'Cheese brought to mind a dish I've made a couple of times before that I think will go well, so I'm going with that:

Maytage Blue Cheese Mac

[SirBruce]

Creamed Onions.  When they are done right with a good cream sauce they are divine.

Bruce

[WayAbvPar]

Ok, wayabvpar's suggestion of Mac'n'Cheese brought to mind a dish I've made a couple of times before that I think will go well, so I'm going with that:

Maytage Blue Cheese Mac

Oh my god that sounds good. Can you post the recipe?

[Dark Vengeance]

Wild rice is good.  Cook it in chicken stock with some sauteed onion and chopped pecans.  Mmm mm.

Black beans and rice is a great starchy side dish. I add lots of Tabasco for extra flavor.

Bring the noise.
Cheers.............

[Abagadro]

It's relatively easy and is really good. Toughest thing is finding freaking Maytag Blue Cheese.

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 pound crumbled Maytag Blue Cheese
2 egg yolks, beaten
Dash of Crystal Hot Sauce
Salt
1 pound small shells, cooked until tender
1 cup fine dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a large shallow baking pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Season with white pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese and egg yolks. Season with the hot sauce and salt if needed. In a large mixing bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. In a small mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Sprinkle the pasta with the bread crumbs. Bake until the top is golden and bubbly, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

[WayAbvPar]

If you can't find Maytag, Oregon Blue Cheese is outstanding. I have printed the recipe and will make sure it gets in my wife's hands posthaste. Gracias!

[Rasix]

My wife hates blue cheese.  Too bad, that sounds mighty good.

[HaemishM]

You could always add Garlic to the Mashed Potatoes, or actually mash potatoes with the skins on to "kick up" the mash. Or, add some smoked gouda cheese right at the end of the cooking.

[Bunk]

With a standing Rib Roast, I'd do roasted new potatoes in the same pan.  Your casserole thing sounds interesting, but blue cheese isn't my thing.

I'm actually going to experience my first American Thanksgiving this Thursday - in Canada.  One of my best friend's new wife is American, and this will be her first Thanksgiving away from the US, so we are all going there for dinner.

Should be interesting, we just don't celebrate the holliday the same way Americans do.

My family's typical traditional Christmas/Thanksgiving meal:
Turkey
Mash potatoes and gravy
Bread stuffing
Cranberry sauce
Yams and Marshmellows
Carrots and baby onions
Brussel Sprouts in Cream sauce (im weird, I love Brussel sprouts)
Coleslaw
Jelly salad of some sort
Pumkin Pie if Thanksgiving
Christmas pudding otherwise.

Im salivating now...

[El Gallo]

Only dirty Communists don't have turkey for Thanksgiving, you dirty Communist.  I must say, however, that your blue cheese m&c sounds pretty yummy.

[Fargull]

Okay...

I don't do much cooking, but when I get crazy, I generally grab something from Dale Carson who writes the cooking article for Indian Country.  If you click on his name in the title it will let you look over the articles he has written.  Some really good eating in there.

[Hanzii]

Pray tell, what is a standing rib roast? What is it standing on?


Mashed potatoes are boring.
Mashed celery root and potatoes isn't:
Use 1/3 celery root and 2/3 potatoes. Lots of salt, pebber and nutmeg and some creme fraiche.

Potatoes, celery root and Hamburg root parsley baked in the oven with pears.
Cut the potatoes, celery root and root parsley in equal squares. Mix with good coldpressed olive oil and some rosemary. Cut 2-3 pears in quarters and remove the seeds. Cut 2-3 lemons in quarters. Put everything in a large baking tray and pop in the oven at 180 degrees celcius for 45 minutes approx.

... and this is too much work. having to look up stuff like freaking hamburg root parsley - it's not the kind of English words take teach you in school.

[Bunk]

[Arnold]

I need a starchy side dish for a thanksgiving meal that has a main dish of standing rib roast.  I'd generally just do mashed potato but that's kinda boring so I want to branch out a bit.

Any suggestions?

Mashed potatoes don't have to be boring!  I like making them garlic mashed.  I used reds (with skin on) and use cream instead of butter.

Or you could make some au gratin with fancy schmancy cheese.  Or maybe you could even do some nice, crisp, potato pancackes.

[Arnold]

If you can't find Maytag, Oregon Blue Cheese is outstanding. I have printed the recipe and will make sure it gets in my wife's hands posthaste. Gracias!

The BEST bleu cheese I've found is (I can't remember the brand name; it's in a deli case) "Wisconsin Buttermilk Bleu Cheese".  This stuff is really good for eating on crackers and whatnot.  It's more mild and less salty than standard bleu cheese.  Of course, for cooking, the regular stuff is fine (just add less salt).

[Arnold]

Pray tell, what is a standing rib roast?

AKA Prime Rib.

[Nazrat]

My family's sweet potatoe casserole has pecans on top and tastes similar to a pecan pie.  Mmmm, tasty.  

Also, a baked sweet potato is very different from the watery and runny mess that most people serve.  Just bake it like a white potatoe, add butter and/or cinammon and there you go.  

I'm not a big fan of marshmellows on top of sweet potatoes either.

[Sky]

Mmm...another vote for roasted garlic potatoes. I love roasted garlic on everything. Also drop in some butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Great stuff, used to make vats of it when I worked at a dinner theater.

[Shannow]

Cream Onions rock.

(let me say Im rather fond of this thanksgiving thing you yanks do...mmmm mmmm)

[Moroni]

Ever try mashed cauliflower rather than mashed potatoes? I hear it is the only rational use for califlower ever conceived by man.

[Sky]

I hear it is the only rational use for califlower ever conceived by man.

Non-violent punishment for children.