Fanfare for the common sides
Even if you’re the kind of person who types out production schedules for holiday meals -- the days laid out according to brining times and baking itineraries -- and especially if you aren’t, the day before Thanksgiving can bring on a sudden crisis of faith. Will there be enough food? Where are the dessert plates? Did I forget the mashed potatoes?
Well, thankfully, there’s a whole category of dishes that slides easily into this penultimate time slot: simple sides that can be accomplished with basic ingredients, dwindling free time, low-stress recipes.
Make these the day before or even the morning of the big meal, to fill in the gaps of the feast. A tray of whole-grain mustard rolls, warm from the oven. A pot of braised cabbage, fragrant with juniper berries and caraway seeds. A bowl of, yes, mashed potatoes, laced with brown butter and crispy sage.
This is food on the unfussy end of the spectrum. Because for all the fanfare -- the showstoppers and signature dishes, the labor-intensive birds and the artfully decorated desserts -- it’s sometimes good to have a little comfort food to round out a perfect meal.
So, pause amid last-minute errands and the careful orchestration of the day, and make a batch of simple yeast rolls. Bread can sometimes get forgotten, between the catalog of pies and side dishes, yet it’s the perfect bridge to the meal. Pair a whole-grain mustard roll with a slice of cheese before everyone sits down, or add one to your plate with a nub of butter.
Heady rolls
This recipe is one for a basic bread dough, laced with whole wheat flour and whole-grain mustard for an earthier note that stands up to the heady flavors of the feast.
Mix the dough by machine if you’re feeling pressed for time, or knead it by hand for a bit of occupational holiday therapy. Then just let it rise in a warm part of the kitchen -- odds are you’ll have lots of those -- like a happy afterthought.
Divide the risen dough into rounds, then brush them with a quick honey glaze for rich color and a hint of sweetness that highlights the subtle notes of mustard and wheat. Warm from the oven, or even reheated the next day, a basket of pretty rolls is better than any centerpiece -- and it’s edible too.
Braised red cabbage has a warm, slightly acidic note that works as a welcome counterpoint to the richness of the bird, the platters of stuffing and root vegetables. The cabbage is laced with red wine and cider vinegar, with hints of spice from juniper berries and thyme, then cooked slowly on the stove top. After an hour or so with the cover on, it’s done.
Toast a few caraway seeds at the last minute and stir them in, then top the dish with toasted hazelnuts. The caraway bridges the distance between the subtle bite of the cabbage and the soft notes of the nuts, and -- an aesthetic plus -- the dark magenta of the dish plays beautifully against the golds and browns on display with the rest of the meal.
And then there’s mashed potatoes, a homey dish that deserves not to be forgotten. In fact, it deserves to be elevated, celebrated even -- although without losing its basic nature.
Simply boil a pot of baking potatoes. Don’t peel them, as the skins provide a bit of color, a wealth of nutrients and some welcome texture. Fry a handful of whole sage leaves in a little butter. Well, a lot of butter; this is Thanksgiving dinner, not spa food. Remove the crisp sage -- don’t throw it away -- and brown the butter until it is golden and scattered with a confetti of dark brown flecks.
A touch of sage
What you’ll get is a saucepan of pure gold, far more complex than ordinary melted butter and with an earthy, nutty flavor imbued with sage.
Drain the potatoes and mash to the consistency of your liking, then stir in the brown butter (yes, all of it), milk, Greek yogurt, salt and black pepper to taste. The milk smooths out the texture, the thick yogurt provides both creaminess and a subtle tart kick, and the fried sage leaves provide a crisp counterpoint to the velvety potatoes. They look strikingly pretty perched on top of the dish too.
Though they may not be the focal points of your holiday table, these homey dishes are the measure of a balanced menu. They provide ballast to the beautiful architecture of the bird, the catalog of elegant sides, the ritual of pies. And they’re easy and quick to make, which can be a welcome reprieve in the hours counting down to the big meal.
Because sometimes a basket of warm rolls -- or a bowl of homey potatoes -- is both an offering and a thanks in and of itself.
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BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX
Whole-grain mustard rolls
Total time: 1 hour, plus rising time
Servings: 2 dozen rolls
Note: These rolls can be prepared up to 3 days in advance, or weeks in advance and frozen.
2 cups whole milk
6 tablespoons butter ( 3/4 stick), divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 cups unbleached flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the milk until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Remove the pan from the heat, add 4 tablespoons (half a stick) butter and one-fourth cup syrup and cool until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 110 degrees). Stir in the yeast and allow to sit until the mixture is bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the flours and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook and combine over low speed; alternatively, whisk together the flours and salt in a large bowl.
3. Stir the mustard into the bubbly yeast mixture, then slowly pour the mixture into the flour while mixing over low speed, until the flour is incorporated.
4. Mix the dough until it is soft, smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a mixer and 10 minutes by hand. Add a little flour as needed if the dough is too moist. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or surface and knead for a minute or so. Place the dough into a large buttered bowl, turning the dough so the surface is lightly coated with butter. Cover the bowl with a towel or loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Line 2 baking sheets with buttered parchment paper. Punch down the dough and divide it into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place the balls on the parchment, spreading them out in even rows on the two sheets. Cover loosely with buttered plastic and allow to rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and mix together with the remaining maple syrup to form a glaze. Brush the rolls evenly with the glaze and place the trays in the oven. Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through for even baking. Remove from the oven and place the rolls, still on the parchment, on racks to cool completely.
7. Store the cooled rolls in sealable plastic bags for up to three days at room temperature, or freeze for up to one month. Reheat the rolls (at room temperature) on a tray in a 350-degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
Each roll: 165 calories; 6 grams protein; 28 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 10 mg. cholesterol; 322 mg. sodium.
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Braised red cabbage with toasted hazelnuts
Total time: 1 1/2 hours
Servings: 8 to 10
Note: For the best flavor, use tart apples such as Gala, Winesap or Arkansas Black. This recipe can be prepared several days in advance and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1 cup peeled and diced apples (approximately 1 large apple), cut into half-inch pieces
1 medium red cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds), cored, tough outer leaves removed and thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup dry red wine, divided
1 tablespoon honey
Salt
4 sprigs of thyme
12 juniper berries
Pepper
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skins removed and coarsely chopped
1. In a large casserole or Dutch oven, melt the butter and cook the shallots and apples over medium-low heat until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the cabbage, vinegar, three-fourths cup wine, the honey and 1 teaspoon salt. Tie the thyme and juniper berries in a cheesecloth bag and stir in with the rest of the ingredients. Cover the pot and bring to a slow simmer.
3. Simmer the cabbage until tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure that the cabbage doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir the remaining one-fourth cup wine into the pot halfway through cooking, and add additional water throughout the cooking process if the liquid evaporates and the cabbage becomes dry.
4. When the cabbage is almost done, toast the caraway seeds in a small saute pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Shake the pan frequently so the seeds do not burn. Remove from heat.
5. When the cabbage is tender, remove the pot from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the toasted caraway seeds, then cool, cover and refrigerate until needed. Reheat, adjust the seasoning if needed and serve sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts.
Each of 10 servings: 166 calories; 4 grams protein; 13 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 6 mg. cholesterol; 259 mg. sodium.
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Brown butter mashed potatoes with fried sage
Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
Note: This recipe can be mostly prepared a day in advance.
3 pounds baking potatoes, scrubbed, skin on, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
24 fresh sage leaves
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Put the potatoes in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with cold water by at least half an inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the butter over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. When it begins to foam, add the sage leaves and gently fry until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, place on a paper towel and reserve. Continue to cook the butter until it’s golden brown and nutty, watching so that it doesn’t burn, an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium-high heat just until hot, careful that the milk does not boil. Remove from heat and reserve in a warm place.
4. Drain the potatoes and place them into a large bowl. Using a masher, mash the potatoes to the desired consistency. Stir in the hot milk, yogurt, salt and pepper and browned butter, making sure to get all the dark butter solids. (Recipe can be prepared to this point a day in advance; refrigerate the potatoes tightly sealed and keep the sage in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.)
5. Garnish with the fried sage and serve. (If you have refrigerated the potatoes, gently reheat the mashed potatoes before serving, thinning if needed with additional milk. Garnish and serve.)
Each of 8 servings: 290 calories; 7 grams protein; 32 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 37 mg. cholesterol; 462 mg. sodium.
