30 Days of Splendid Sides

Cooks doing something more elegant (say, with the turkey roulade) can put out white truffle-scented pommes Anna and sit back for the oohs and aahs. A small amount of truffle oil infuses the whole dish with loads of earthy essence. If you don't have truffle oil, you can use olive oil for a more subtle flavor.

Tangy and delicious: these green beans are simple, yet elegant.

View Recipe: Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Shallots Recipes  

View Recipe: Carrot Soufflé

Served as an accompaniment to pork or poultry, these baked apples are a sure way to take advantage of the season’s bounty while adding flair to your meal. Leftovers?  These apples can be served over oatmeal or slices of breakfast bread the next morning.

Chopped shallots and fresh thyme and parsley come together with quick-cooking couscous for a versatile, no-fuss side dish.

Here's a deliciously updated version of the classic, with fresh green beans and wine-infused mushrooms. We just had to keep the fried onion topping, which is arguably the best part.

Orzo pasta is a versatile base for dishes, and this one is chock-full of zesty ingredients. Red onions add crunch and the combination of artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and kalamata olives all add fresh brininess to the salad.

Steaming vegetables helps to retain all of the healthful water-soluble vitamins, and these carrots are no exception. The addition of the garlic-ginger butter gives an exotic flair to an otherwise classic dish.

Sprinkle a buttery, brown sugar and pecan mixture over the top of the creamy potatoes in this casserole side dish that's sweet enough to be dessert.

Bring some bold Italian flavor to your holiday table with this speedy stovetop side. The recipe, which serves six, doubles easily if serving a larger crowd.

Haricots verts are tiny, fresh French green beans. If you can’t find them, substitute regular fresh beans, which you’ll need to cook a few minutes longer. You can also use white wine vinegar instead of Champagne, if necessary.

Be sure to purchase a crumbly wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano for this super quick potato side dish. The salty flavor will give just the right bite to these melt-in-your-mouth mashed potatoes.

These potatoes are perfect for a holiday meal: quick and convenient, but still plenty dressy. They cook in about the same time it takes for a large roast to rest before carving. Bake the potatoes in their jackets so the outsides get nice and browned while the buttery interiors gently cook through.

View Recipe: Winter Jeweled Fruit Salad

Lots of tastes and textures to sample as you travel around your plate—that's our idea behind having lots of sides. Start the journey with this rustic stuffing.

View Recipe: Garlic Fries

Peppery mustard greens and slightly bitter escarole combine with raisins and pungent garlic for a tasty green veggie side. If you can’t find mustard greens or escarole, you can make this dish with fresh spinach.

On the corn bread side, our version veers away from Dixie toward the Southwest, with chorizo sausage and a little kick from a jalapeño pepper.

View Recipe: Sherried Green Beans and Mushrooms

View Recipe: Brussels Sprouts Gratin

If your audience favors a creamier approach, serve Swiss chard enriched with crème fraîche—a dish that's ready in about 15 minutes.

Go traditional with a twist: Sourdough bread, sausage, and apple is a classic combo, but our bread stuffing also has licorice notes from fresh fennel.

This classic macaroni and cheese recipe has been updated for heightened flavor with the addition of Gouda and Parmesan cheeses and fresh spinach.

View Recipe: Fresh Vegetable Barley

View Recipe: Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables

View Recipe: Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage

Twice-baked sweet potatoes get mixed with a spicy-smoky chipotle butter that balances the sugar. Look for similar-sized sweet potatoes so they'll cook at an even rate. To make ahead, stuff the potato halves, cover, and refrigerate up to one day. Set out at room temperature as the oven preheats to take the chill off.

The sweetness and tartness of citrus provides a nice respite from the earthy and hearty flavors of most other winter produce. This simple dish dresses raw orange and red onion with just olive oil for a nice, light flavor whose acidity and pungency make an excellent counterpoint to cold-weather dishes made from fattier cuts of meat, such as beef stew.

The combination of buttery Yukon gold and fluffy baking potatoes offers richness and a nice contrast both in flavor and texture. We recommend using a food mill to ensure the potatoes are evenly mashed and, just as important, not overworked, so they won't get gluey. If you don't have a food mill, cream the potatoes and cooking liquid with a potato masher.