Sides

I’m on a short break before starting a new job next month, and Kak’mbang has gone back to Terengganu and will only be back at the end of the week.  We’ve been eating leftovers and takeout for the past few days, so today I made Smoked Duck and Sausage Gumbo for dinner, for a change.  The gumbo recipe was based on the one made by a restaurant called Prejean, and it is often enjoyed together with their potato salad.

The first time I made the gumbo I didn’t bother with the potato salad, but since today I had more time I wanted to try it out.  The potato salad was great on its own, but when mixed with the gumbo the tangy flavor of the relish and mustard went so well with the gumbo’s rich, smoky flavor.  So so good!  Definitely a winning combination.

Based on the recipe from Saveur.

I actually made this for our first ever GobbleFest back in 2012.  At the time we bought our roast turkey from Turkey Point Cafe, and I only made the sides.  Back then I wasn’t wise enough to know to make a few dishes in advance, but this time, especially now that I roast my own turkey, I really needed to plan ahead.  This casserole tastes just as great made a day ahead; just take it out of the fridge about an hour to return to room temperature, and bake as instructed.

This is one of those dishes in which you can throw all sorts of additional ingredients to suit your fancy.  My first time making this, I ran out of beef bacon so I added a few Italian sausages in there.  Add a bit of chopped broccoli if you like, to fulfil your veggie quota.  It’s quite labor intensive and requires quite a lot of prep time, but the result is a wonderful comforting dish, excellent for potlucks and goes really well with your roast turkey or chicken.  Enjoy!

Based on the recipe by Emeril Lagasse.

Our friend Marissa will be jetting off to Jakarta soon for a new job, so Elina had us over for potluck dinner and card games last Sunday.  Danial made roast chicken and Elina made rotkohl, so I decided to bring some form of starch as a complementing side dish.  It was either the baked potato casserole or this interesting potato dish by Emeril, and finally our host chose this one.

People say potatoes a la boulangere make a great side dish for roast chicken.  Making it wasn’t difficult, but rather time consuming.  A sharp, heavy knife worked wonders for me when slicing the onions and potatoes into even-sized pieces.  I also took my time to properly caramelize the onions and potatoes, and I think this gave the dish a wonderful flavor.  An excellent dish for potlucks, which you can make ahead on those busy days.  Try it out!