A side dish has a fire within, challenging the star of the show. The ingredient list for a side should never exceed more than five items, excluding the basic ones. The primary ingredient has to be considered at every step, never overshadowing. The key idea is, don’t think about it too much.
I probably sound like a broken record every year around the holidays, “I could make a whole meal out of sides.” The next phase for sides is their versatility for leftovers. A pot of beans may have the longevity of several meals. Roasted potatoes can nestle themselves into breakfast the following day. Keeping a side dish simple and versatile is crucial from an economic standpoint also factoring sustainability.
Only one of these sides uses the oven, freeing up the valuable resource that is the oven schedule for feasts and gathering. Noted in each recipe are details about what can be done the day before and what is vital on the day. Quality criteria is another touchstone to my process and one I intend to develop with specificity. Cooking, for me, is a sensory experience with a goal in mind. Taste, texture and temperature can be achieved if you remind yourself, it’s not that deep y’all and in the end it’s just food. When you’re relaxed, you tend to nail it.
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