Liven up your Thanksgiving spread by adding a new side dish to the usual lineup of potatoes au gratin and creamed spinach. Here are a few ideas from Food Network Kitchen featuring seasonal ingredients like carrots, cauliflower and persimmons.
Steamed Carrots with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
These are knife-and-fork carrots for your next gathering. Steaming them whole retains their carroty essence; tossing them with lemon-dill vinaigrette while they are still warm allows them to absorb lots of flavor.
This simple dish can be thrown together easily. For your next gathering, make the sauce a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to serve. The cauliflower cooks quickly: Toss it in the oven to roast while the main dish rests.
This cheesy gratin could easily be mistaken for another comfort favorite: macaroni and cheese. But beneath the crispy topping, it's perfectly cooked barley, not pasta, that's cloaked in a creamy and buttery cheese sauce. Browned onions, garlic and thyme give this decadent side dish deep, rich flavor. Serve it alongside roasted turkey, fried chicken or grilled steak.
Persimmons are the perfect newcomer to the Thanksgiving table. Their subtle sweetness melds beautifully with the sharpness from the pickled shallots and creaminess of the cheese in this pretty, fall-inspired salad. If you can't find persimmons, dried apricots plumped in orange juice will stand in nicely.
