31 Days of Holiday: Thanksgiving Side Dishes

As soon as the leaves start turning beautiful colors here in New England, I look forward to the upcoming holidays.  I think the time between October through January is my very favorite because it's full of tradition, family time and of course, great food!  Every year, we have a selection of our traditional family recipes that we've used and I always try to introduce a few news ones to mix it up a bit.  A traditional menu item on our Thanksgiving table: Garlic Smashed Potatoes and something new:  Fresh Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds.

First up...an old favorite!  
Garlic Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Serves: 8
Ingredients:
1 Medium head of fresh garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons of the butter of your choice
1/2 cup milk
2 pounds russet potatoes
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Drizzle garlic with olive oil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add potatoes and cook until tender.  Drain, cool and smash.  

4. Stir in Brummel and Brown, milk, salt and pepper

5. Remove garlic from the oven, squeeze the softened cloves into the potatoes and blend with potatoes.  Use an electric mixer if desired. 

Our family, as always loved these deliciously flavorful potatoes.  The garlic gives it an extra depth that your run of the mill mashed potatoes don't always have!  

Next....something new for us! 
Fresh Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

Serves: 4, Hands on Time: 15 minutes

• Ingredients:

• 1  pound trimmed green beans

• 4  tablespoons of the butter of your choice

• 2  teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/4  cup chopped unsalted almonds

• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt

• Directions:

• 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl.

• 2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the Brummel and Brown in a skillet or small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl or stir the Brummel and Brown with a wooden spoon as it starts to foam and sputter. Remove it from the heat as soon as it begins to turn golden brown and smells nutty, about 1 minute.

• 3. Add the lemon juice, almonds, and salt. Swirl skillet over heat for 30 seconds more to toast the almonds. Spoon the mixture over the green beans.

This dish was a delicious option for a Thanksgiving side dish.  Rich, flavorful and nutty, we all enjoyed these green beans that were tasty and pretty!  

Let me know if you have a favorite Thanksgiving side recipes! 
For more of my 31 Days posts, visit my main directory page here!