Interesting side dishes?

[IndecisiveRabbit]

We go to my mum and dad every year for christmas dinner, as they are central to us all and have the biggest house. They find it a lot of work to cook it as there are 14 of us and they are getting on, but they are still not ready to let go control! So dad is doing the turkey and ham, my sister the veggie option, and I am allowed to do the veg/side dishes this year. Any ideas please for interesting sides that you love?

What a nice idea.
Braised red cabbage, cauliflower cheese, Parmesan roasted parsnips/parsnip and nutmeg cream, apples stuffed with chestnuts, onions and sage and glazed with orange juice and maple syrup. (Cheers up the vegan options!)

Sausage meat stuffing is an absolute must!

Who is doing the roast potatoes i see no mention of roast potatoes 😩 I honestly just like Brussels and carrots if im feeling fancy i fry sprouts with pancetta.

Don't cheese or bacon up the vegetable side dishes if there are vegans there, unless you want to make a version just for them. Vegetarians would want to be sure the cheese is vegetarian too. Parmesan isn't vegetarian, but cheddar usually is, for example.

How many vegetarians? Any vegans?

cauliflower cheese (vegetarian) and red cabbage in wine (vegan) are musts for me. I do like Brussels with pancetta and Parmesan but I would not do it if there’s Brussel loving vegetarians, instead i would just microwave then finish off in fry pan to char them slightly with chopped shallots. Honey roasted carrots and parsnips with rosemary. Roasted beetroot is great, sweet potatoes and thyme

Sprout and stuffing ball kebabs

Claire Thomson has lots of good veggie dishes on her IG.

I like potato dauphinoise, buttery Savoy cabbage, some kind of zesty, herby and crunchy slaw…

100% agree, I am geekily excited about doing this one this year!
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chestnut-bacon-cranberry-stuffing

Tell me more,

Creamy leeks, cauliflower cheese, halloumi pigs in blankets!

Personally I don't like 'interesting' sides with my roast turkey dinner, I want plain and classic. What do you think your parents would like?
Perfect roast potatoes, roast parsnips, mashed peppery swede, steamed brussels, boiled carrot batons and cauliflower are the perfect sides for turkey to me.

I agree i.honestly prefer the classics.

Maple & miso parsnips (despite the description as “buttery”, it’s actually vegan! https://kitchenandotherstories.com/roast-parsnip-recipe/

Haven't tried these but they sound delicious (could be made vegan by substituting vegan alternative for the butter)
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/christmas-carrots-in-a-bag/

if you are sautéing sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, you could do the bacon separately and stir it in to the dish having removed the vegan’s portions. And frozen chestnuts are far superior to the vac packed ones

Delias christmas red cabbage

the sticky pomegranate and pistachio pigs in blankets in this link are utterly delightful, and enjoyed by those who are more traditional in their tastes in my experience. They work well with veggie sausages too.

Roasted Radishes. Great colour on the plate and tasty too!
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roasted-radishes

Another vote for keeping it simple as older folks prefer it that way - you can be experimental on your own roast dinners but I don’t think this is the time.

I remember spending ages one year making a beautiful turkey gravy and being asked if I had any bisto gravy granules instead

We tend to have a very traditional christmas dinner which suits us but one year we did have a creamy spinach and potato gratin thing which was lush.

Ooh, these stuffed apples sound good! I think they would be popular, thank you

But if I do them, I know they will compared unfavourably to mums! So thinking a dauphinoisse instead, though that might upset my aunts!

No vegans, but two veggies, though they are quite relaxed about cheese. I like the beetroot idea thanks

Interesting! Maybe a way to make the kids eat sprouts, theyre all refusers at the moment.

I love stuffing, but think that and sausage meat are going in the turkey, so that is dads territory 🤣

A TikTok trend is to cook your roast potatoes in clotted cream!!! Not tried it myself, but I can understand why it would work well. I'm sure it would have great flavour (though not too much for those with traditional tastes) and feel fancy but stays away from animal fat.

I know what you mean, but they do love trying new things, and mum is just glad she doesnt have to do it herself, so I have free rein!