Best Spicy Dishes to Pair With Your Thanksgiving Feast

ROAST turkey with all the traditional Thanksgiving trimmings – yummy and oh so filling.

But also…dare it be said…rather bland. After all, the Pilgrims were not noted for their love of excess and we can be reasonably sure this probably applied to their tastebuds too.

Today, however, we have so many culinary treats available to us maybe it is time to add a little pep to the turkey based extravaganza.

All those traditional side dishes – the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the casseroles – they all lend themselves to experimentation with some herbs and spices while keeping their traditional place on the table as a proud Thanksgiving accompaniment.

Let’s start with the stuffing….or dressing depending on whether you prefer it cooked in or out of the bird.

Stuffing is literally designed to be a blank canvas ready for a palette of flavors to burst from it. From the days where no food was to be wasted, the stale left over bread got a new lease of life with the bird’s juices and the addition of some herbs for flavor.

Well why stop with the traditional sage or thyme? We live in a world of chili peppers and cumin – why not add a little to your mix? Or if you add sausage to your stuffing, why not upgrade a little and try some spicy chorizo to add a little more power?

Next, we all have a large bowl of mashed potatoes taking center stage on the table next to the turkey. One delicious way to brig a bit more flavor to the creamy textured starch is our old faithful kitchen herb rosemary – mix a generous helping of rosemary leaves into the mash and your spuds will take on a new world of flavor.

Sweet potatoes are – well – sweet, so what a great opportunity to contract that innate sweetness with something more complex too. The tastebuds. Just as chili in dark chocolate has been recognized as a great combination of flavors, the sweet potato can easily enjoy taking some paprika and chilis of your choice – mix and match to create your private perfect blend to add a little heat alongside the sweet.

As for your greens, Brussels sprouts have had somewhat of a resurgence in popularity in recent years. For so long they were simply boiled to death but now we sauté them, roast them and fry them – all of which also lets us ramp up the seasoning with some heat to go alongside that crunch of green.

And whether your casseroles are green bean or cheesy based, there is plenty of scope to up the flavor hit. If you are using cheese, why stick with the usual mild cheddar or mozzarella? There are literally hundreds of much more flavorful cheeses that can boost the taste – try some blue Stilton or a Gorgonzola, and up the ante with some mustard to give the sauce a real zing.

Thanksgiving is full of traditions – but the great thing about traditions is we can make new ones. With us all being more housebound than before and smaller numbers of people to please at our tables this year, it is the perfect opportunity to break open the spice chest and get experimenting gastronomically.