Today I thought I would share with you some of our favourite side dishes and homemade condiments that adorn our Harvest Gathering dinner table each year. Like these two beautiful heirloom carrots who became intertwined over time, these simple dishes have become synonymous with Thanksgiving dinner for our family.

There is something comforting about the side dishes we eat at Thanksgiving. As a cook, I love experimentation and exploration, but there are certain dishes that are “not to be messed with” according to my family, and Thanksgiving Stuffing is one of them. The truth is, I make this side dish without a recipe every year, so I have my fingers crossed that I have actually managed to write it all down for you correctly! Once I’m in the zone of cooking, I am often driven by intuition and my senses of smell and taste, so please use yours as well when making this and adjust the herbs and balance of ingredients according to your palette. That said, the recipe below should help you approximate what has become a bit of a cult favourite amongst our family and friends.

I have experimented with making this stuffing with gluten-free bread and the honest-to-goodness truth is it doesn’t work. It’s mushy and unrecognizable and could start a riot amongst my family and friends expecting “the real thing.” My suggestion for those of us who are gluten-free? Cook up all of the ingredients together, and before you add the bread, set aside some of the mix of onions, bacon, apricots and apples with the herbs. The flavours are amazing and a scoop of that on the side of your plate is almost as good as the bread-laced version! Everybody wins.

OK, my next favourite side dish to share with you is another of our annual Thanksgiving traditions. But first, I have a confession to make. I don’t like cranberry sauce. I know, I know, it makes my connection to the original Pilgrims questionable and my citizenship as a Canadian tenuous. But I find the tartness dominates the flavours of my Thanksgiving meal and thus gave up on trying to like it years ago. So in place of the traditional cranberry sauce, I’ve added two rich and flavourful “condiments” that add depth of flavour without taking over the party in your mouth. The first is our Caramelized Balsamic Onions.

I’m always secretly hoping there will be some of the Caramelized Balsamic Onions left over for making sandwiches or adding on top of salads. It makes a divine addition to a cheese board, too. Like, moan-worthy with a good old English sharp cheddar. Yum.

Last but not least, I always make Roasted Garlic Butter each year, and it tends to be a surprise favourite with new guests each Autumn. It’s not much to look at once it’s finished, but the sweet, roasted richness of the garlic makes up for what this condiment might lack in the good looks department.

I just love the way the garlic bulb “skeletons” look once the cloves have been removed. The light was particularly gorgeous that day, showing off their translucency in the loveliest way such that I had to stop and take this shot for you!

So there you have it! 3 of our family’s favourite side dishes for one of our favourite gatherings of the year! Tomorrow I’ll share my secrets to a gorgeous, mouth-watering turkey as well as the recipe for a delicious and seasonal dessert.

Many thanks to the lovely and oh-so-talented Gabriela Hansen for contributing her beautiful photographic skills to this day and this post! What a joy to work with such delightful people.
Wishing you a flavourful and fragrant Thursday!
xo
s.