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Seeking Side Dish Recipe Idea (elegant yet easy)

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MisterChrister

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I need an idea for a "gourmet-esque" side dish that is deceivingly simple to prepare, preferably that has a forgiving time window for serving. Extra bonus points for reasonable food cost. I was thinking garlic/cheesy Hasselbeck Yukon Gold potatoes, but I wonder if that's too heavy with everything else being so rich.

I'm cooking prom dinner for 8 this Saturday, and have the following so far: Baby spinach salad with hot raspberry-bacon vinaigrette dressing, tomato bisque, smoked salmon rillettes, bruschetta crostini, and dry-aged strip steaks a la Oscar (topped with asparagus, crab meat, and bearnaise sauce). Wife is doing a fancy dessert with a fluffy creamy/strawberry theme. I just need something else to plate with the entree and thought I'd ask the Brethren/Sistren. Whatchy'all got for me? :grin:
 
Brussells Sprouts cooked with crumbled Bacon and Garlic with a splash of Olive Oil and balck pepper, its easy, makes an impressive appearance, and tastes great!

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Roasted Veggies.. Cauliflower, Broccoli, Sprouts, Sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, turnip. Mix n match. Heat up about 1/2 cup of EVOO, add a bunch of garlic, some fresh herbs and some chili flakes. Just cook on low for a few minutes, flavor the oil.. Then toss the veggies in it, and lay them out on cookie sheet. Season with S&P and roast until soft.. About an hour - hour and a half depending on temp. You can hit with fresh Parmesean in the last 5 minutes if you want.. I've done on smoker or oven, both delicious. Easy to prep ahead of time too.

 
Perhaps one of these...

carrot mash with marmalade, ginger, coriander and cilantro.
cauliflower puree with brown butter sauce.
Sweet potato with maple butter glaze.
Rice pilaf with dried fruit (like cherries, prunes, cranberries, pears, apples) and toasted nuts.
Colcannon (potato and greens).
Ratatouille.

All of these can be "made ahead" a bit and have great plate appeal.
 
You're already doing some asparagus with the steak a la Oscar so I'd definitely go with a starch. I don't think you can go wrong with your potato puree idea.

This would also be a place where I might use a simple roasted potatoes with garlic and an herb (I prefer rosemary). That'd end up being a lighter option than the puree most likely.
 
I would go for hasslebeck potatoes with just olive oil, herbs and parmesean to keep them lighter. They will look nice and should pair well with steak or salmon.
 
My first thought was some diced sweet potatoes and onion, tossed with olive oil and roasted in the oven/smoker until tender. Add your seasoning/herbs of choice.

I'm cooking for prom too. Kids wanted pulled pork sammies, cole slaw, and oven roasted potatoes. Who am I to say no?
 
This could be the one!!!

OOO! OOO! OOO!

I was looking for another recipe and found this.
Made it for homecoming this year.
BIG hit! And I mean BIG hit.

Zucchini Onion Pie
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups sliced zucchini
1 cup biscuit/baking mix
1 small onion, chopped

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk the first seven ingredients. Stir in the zucchini, baking mix and onion. Pour into a greased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Bake at 350° for 25-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 6 servings.
 
I would go with something like roasted whole baby carrots (not those turned down ones in plastic, I mean whole small carrots) which you could then glaze with a ginger and orange sauce.

Slightly more costly, would be grilled endive spears, which you could then dress with a French tomato vinaigrette.

Potatoes gratin is always great with steak, and you could use small red potato slices to dress it up a bit
 
A Golden Yukon smash potato with a cheese sauce or just melt cheddar on top. I do these with steak all the time and the family loves them.
 
Your choices so far are fancy for high schoolers which is very cool, but perhaps something simple would be safe for an additional side. I like the smashed potato ideas or twice baked finished on the grill.
 
Probably doesn't go well with the ala Oscar, but one of my all-time favorite dishes with steak is

Scalloped potatoes with Chiles in Adobo

Basically make a pyrex dish with sliced potatoes, at a 45 degree angle in rows, salt and pepper, then chop up a chile in adobo (more or less depends on you and size of dish) and put in some cream (or use milk). Pour over the potatoes, top with cheese, bake in the oven... amazing...
 
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Based on your menu do you need another dish? If so something vegetarian since everything except the tomato bisque and brochette are meat-centric. Something simple like glazed baby carrots as already mentioned.
 
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