A Few Good Sides

We asked for your favorite Thanksgiving side recipes and you delivered. The response was so tremendous it was impossible for The Times Test Kitchen to try every submission. But Donna Deane, Mayi Brady and Julianne Tantum did a heroic effort of testing the most promising recipes. The writers and editors in the section then tasted the results. The eight recipes printed here are the best of an excellent group. Happy Thanksgiving!

TERESA MCCLARY’S CLOVERLEAF ROLLS

Good soft rolls are an integral part of most Thanksgiving tables. Teresa A. McClary of Glendale sent us this recipe, which uses a food processor for easy mixing. She says that if you’re making rolls for a crowd, you should make multiple batches and let them rise together.

1/4 cup warm water

1 (1 1/4-ounce) package yeast

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup milk, at room temperature

1 egg

Combine water and yeast in small bowl and set aside to proof, about 5 minutes. Combine butter, 1/2 of flour, sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture, milk and egg and blend well. With food processor running, add remaining flour through feed tube just until dough forms ball.

Place ball in greased bowl and turn to grease all sides of dough. Cover with towel and set aside in warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down and set aside to rise until doubled again, about 30 minutes.

Grease muffin pan. Form dough into 12 (2-inch) balls. Place 1 ball in each muffin cup. With scissors, cut cross almost completely through each roll, dividing each roll in quarters. Cover pan and set aside to rise another 15 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees until brown and puffy, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 12 rolls

Each roll contains about:

185 calories; 447 mg sodium; 29 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.09 gram fiber.

NANCY ZASLAVSKY’S TINY POTATOES WITH CARAMELIZED GARLIC (Papitas al Ajo)

Cookbook writer Nancy Zaslavsky, who lives in Venice, sent us this garlicky potato recipe from her upcoming book “Meatless Mexican Home Cooking,” to be published in March. She got the recipe from Mercedes Arteaga Tovar, owner of Bugambilia restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Zaslavsky describes the dish this way: “Mercedes slowly browns teeny boiled potatoes with garlic until they are deep gold, sticky and chewy. She serves these in her home to favored guests as appetizer tidbits with toothpicks. I adore the potatoes as a dinner side dish too, because no one has to stick his or her finger indelicately into the bowl to get more of the heavenly caramelized garlic. (Don’t think it won’t happen.)”

2 pounds small red or white boiling potatoes, 1-inch diameter maximum

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup chopped garlic

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Black pepper

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder, or 1 toasted, seeded, and pulverized ancho chile

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon lime juice

Cook potatoes in 3 quarts salted boiling water until tender enough to be pierced with knife point, about 20 minutes. Drain well and blot dry.

Heat olive oil and add potatoes. Cook until lightly browned.

Add garlic, lower heat and slowly simmer until garlic turns dark golden and becomes caramelized. Remove potatoes and garlic to bowl. Add salt, pepper, ancho chile powder, parsley and lime juice and mix well.

Makes 6 side-dish servings.

Each serving contains about:

214 calories; 420 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 1.14 grams fiber.

KERI LAWSON’S PLUM PUDDING CAKE

Keri Lawson of Fullerton sent this moist cake recipe that’s so good it might make a few people at the table forget to ask for pumpkin pie.

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 1/2 cups raisins

1/4 cup chopped orange peel (can be candied)

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups torn-up white bread, crusts removed

1 cup shortening

1 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 cup red plum, currant or other favorite jam

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup vermouth

HARD SAUCE

3 tablespoons vermouth

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

PLUM PUDDING CAKE

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in raisins, orange peel, apricots and walnuts. Add torn-up bread. Beat in shortening, applesauce, brown sugar and eggs. Stir in jam, juice and vermouth.

Pour into greased 2-quart bundt pan. Cover tightly with foil. Place large baking pan on oven shelf and place casserole in pan. Add boiling water almost to top of pan. Bake at 400 degrees 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and cook until set, about 2 1/2 hours. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

HARD SAUCE

Beat together vermouth and sugar until smooth. Unmold cake onto platter. Pour over cake before serving.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Each of 12 servings contains about:

112 calories; 2 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.43 gram fiber.

MARGOT WALL’S CHESTNUT CORN BREAD STUFFING WITH GREENS

This stuffing from Margot Wall of Newport Coast can be easily assembled if the chestnuts and corn bread are prepared in advance and frozen. Wall advises using frozen chestnuts, which have already been boiled and peeled. You could also substitute a corn bread mix, or a commercially prepared corn bread, if it is not too sweet. You will need to prepare the corn bread three days in advance. Once cooled, break into 1-inch pieces, spread on a cookie sheet and dry for 2 to 3 days. The stuffing can also be prepared as a casserole, particularly if the turkey stock is used to add a true “basted” taste to the dish.

1/2 pound smoked bacon, diced

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced celery

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried savory

2 cups mustard greens, washed, dried and torn in 1-inch pieces

1 quart turkey stock

6 cups crumbled dried corn bread

2 cups chopped chestnuts

Salt, pepper

Cook bacon in large skillet until all fat is rendered, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan, leaving fat. Add butter to fat.

Cook onions and celery in butter-bacon fat until just starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add thyme and savory. Add greens and cook very quickly until wilted. Add bacon and stock and simmer about 10 minutes.

Add corn bread and chestnuts. Mixture should be fairly wet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more stock, or hot water and melted butter if desired. Cool and loosely stuff bird. Alternatively, bake at 350 degrees in large heavy buttered casserole last hour of turkey preparation time, drizzling with melted butter if desired before baking.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 8 servings contains about:

368 calories; 1,009 mg sodium; 121 mg cholesterol; 25 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.81 gram fiber.

ANN PETERSON’S PRALINE SWEET POTATOES

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed (about 4 cups)

1/4 cup milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

Heaping 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Susan Cramer of Los Angeles sent this recipe of her mother’s. It was, she says, “a feature of our family’s New England Thanksgivings for the last 30 years. When my husband, family and I plan Thanksgiving dinner every year, the one dish they all ask for is this.”

Beat together sweet potatoes, milk, egg, salt and pepper. Spoon into buttered 2- to 3-quart shallow casserole dish. Combine sugar, butter and corn syrup and spread over potatoes. Sprinkle pecans on top. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, until set, about 40 to 50 minutes. Topping will be slightly soft but will harden as dish cools.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 8 servings contains about:

352 calories; 397 mg sodium; 43 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 1.48 grams fiber.

CORN PUDDING

Linda Stepp of Mission Viejo sent this classic corn pudding recipe, a comforting side dish that should disappear quickly. You may want to make more than you need.

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (16-ounce) bag frozen corn, thawed

1 cup minced onion

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Mix eggs, milk, muffin mix and salt in mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in corn and onion.

Pour batter into greased 8x12-inch baking dish and bake at 375 degrees until crust is golden brown, about 60 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese over top and bake until cheese melts, another 5 to 7 minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about:

191 calories; 352 mg sodium; 50 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.35 gram fiber.

PAN-ROASTED BALSAMIC ONIONS

We had a hard time picking just one recipe from the submissions of Palm Desert’s Joanne Bower. This simple but elegant dish is, we think, a potential classic.

10 ounces red pearl onions

10 ounces white pearl onions

10 ounces cipolline onions

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 1/4 pounds leeks

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Boil red, white pearl and cipolline onions in medium saucepan with water to cover for 1 minute. Drain onions, let stand until cool enough to handle, then carefully peel, leaving root and stem ends intact.

Transfer to large bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Remove any damaged outer leaves from leeks and all of the tough green parts. Cut leeks in half, leaving attached at the root, and rinse thoroughly of grit in cool running water. Cut crosswise into thin strips.

Combine onions, leeks, vinegar, stock, butter and thyme in skillet and cook over medium-high heat until liquid reduces to glaze, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

278 calories; 791 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 2.90 grams fiber.

OLGA’S CRANBERRY SAUCE

2 cups cranberries

1 small onion

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons horseradish

When Chatsworth’s Ellison Custodio sent us his mother-in-law’s recipe for cranberry sauce, we were skeptical. We liked the idea of a cranberry sauce spiked with horseradish, but we couldn’t imagine eating raw cranberries. Then we tasted the recipe that the late Olga Morris had heard over the radio years ago in San Francisco and adopted for her family holidays. Just as it was loved by the Morris and Custodio families, it quickly became one of our favorites. Some of us are even going to break tradition this year and replace our usual cranberry sauces with this refreshing relish.

Grind cranberries and onion in food processor until mixture is finely chopped.

Combine sugar, sour cream and horseradish in bowl with fitted lid. Add cranberry-onion mixture and mix well. Secure fitted lid on bowl. Freeze relish several hours or overnight. Thaw 3 to 5 hours in refrigerator and serve.

Makes 1 1/2 pints.

Each 1/4 cup contains about:

152 calories; 20 mg sodium; 12 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.56 gram fiber.