Side Hustles: Chefs Share Their Go-To Side Dish Recipes | Bonobos
Illustrations by Jori Bolton
It might be time to send your tired old Thanksgiving recipes off to the great cornucopia in the sky. While some people claim the turkey is the star of the day (they are wrong), we firmly believe the holiday season is all about the sides. Stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, green bean casserole, even that weird can-shaped cranberry sauce. While the classics are great and all, we encourage you to shake things up this year. To help guide the way, we called up some of our favorite chefs from around the country to get their go-to side dish recipe. Give one of these a shot and we guarantee you’ll be the MVP at your next Friendsgiving.
Charred Sweet Potatoes with Hot Honey Butter and Lime
By Andy Baraghani, Senior Food Editor, Bon Appetit and Healthyish
Save those marshmallows for S’mores. This take on the mandatory sweet potato dish from Bon Appetit Senior Food Editor Andy Baraghani is a true culinary flex. “Mashed sweet potatoes are so dull, to me,” says Baraghani. “It’s very one-note. You get the same texture over and over again, and you end up developing palette fatigue.” His solution will knock your socks off. Roasted sweet potatoes get a coating of hot honey, pumpkin seeds, and lime, resulting in a mind-melting flavor explosion the likes of which your Thanksgiving table has never seen. “With this, you get a lot of different textures, some heat, good acidity, and overall balance,” says Baraghani. “The flesh becomes very creamy, and the sugars become deeply caramelized. Then it’s drowned in this punchy, spicy butter and toasted, crunchy seeds. A splash of lime brings it all back to life.” Uh, yes please.
Ingredients
8 small sweet potatoes (about 3 lb. total), scrubbed, halved lengthwise
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature (so the hot sauce can be easily incorporated)
2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. hot sauce (such as Tapatío or Cholula)
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
Flaky sea salt
Lime wedges (for serving)
Preparation
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°. Place sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with ¼ cup oil, and season with kosher salt. Turn to coat. Arrange cut side down and roast until tender (the tip of a knife should slide easily into flesh) and cut sides are browned, 25–30 minutes. Let sweet potatoes cool.
Meanwhile, smash together butter and honey in a small bowl with a fork until smooth. Add hot sauce a tablespoonful at a time, blending well after each addition. Season hot honey butter with kosher salt.
Cook pumpkin seeds and remaining ¼ cup oil in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until pumpkin seeds are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in coriander; season with kosher salt.
Arrange sweet potatoes on a platter and spread with hot honey butter. Sprinkle with sea salt and spoon pumpkin seed oil over. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
Do Ahead: Hot honey butter can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.