Super Simple Sides

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

21 Mar 2008 11:00 PM

If you are looking for an easy side dish to serve with your glazed Easter ham or spicy Easter lamb then you've come to the right place. The following recipes are not only super simple to prepare they are also easy on your wallet.

The first dish take less than 30 minutes to make and calls for only a handful of ingredients. However, its simplicity only adds to the dish's overall flavor. The trick is finding the walnut oil. I buy my flavored oils from gourmet stores, but every once in a while you can find walnut oil at larger markets like Whole Foods. Otherwise, stick with standard olive oil; it will not compromise the taste of the dish. I usually serve this side dish with salmon, but it would also go great with lamb.

The second dish calls for sweet potatoes. Wal-Mart is having a great deal on sweet potatoes right now (at least ours is), which is why I bought enough to double up on the recipe. The beauty of this dish is that it complements a variety of meat entrees, including ham and turkey.

ROAST ASPARAGUS WITH WALNUTS

Ingredients:

2 lbs asparagus, washed and trimmed

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Walnut Oil

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces

1/2 cup Feta Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toast walnut pieces in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Place asparagus in a shallow baking dish and season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle both oils over the asparagus and then drizzle the balsamic vinegar over that.

Sprinkle the toasted walnuts and Feta cheese over the dish and roast for 20 to 25 minutes.

TWICE BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Ingredients:

5 sweet potatoes

Olive oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 ounces butter melted

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Lightly oil sweet potatoes and bake in oven at 350 degrees for about an hour or until tender.

Allow potatoes to cool.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out cooked innards. Reserve hollowed out potato skins.

Place the cooked potatoes that you just scooped out into a mixer. Add cream, butter, sugar, salt, and pepper and mix well.

Place potato puree into pastry bag and pipe back into potato skins.

Return the potatoes to the oven until lightly browned and slightly crispy.

Related Articles:

Beef and Asparagus Pasta Toss

Two Great Asparagus Casseroles

Grilled Asparagus

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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