North vs. South Thanksgiving sides smackdown: Family recipes

When it comes to the Thanksgiving table side dishes are anything but an afterthought sometimes equaling or even eclipsing the turkey Thanksgiving sides also illustrate the rich communities and cultural influences identified throughout the nation A classic side dish in one region or family for instance may very well be unheard of in another To get a taste of Thanksgiving across the US six Atlanta chefs three Southern and three hailing from the North and Midwest shared their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and family food traditions for the holiday For this South versus North side dish smackdown The Daily Chew founder Julia Kesler Imerman South and Bread Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown North talk treasured family recipes Read the other Thanksgiving side dish smackdown stories here Sweet potato mash with salted sage butter and cinnamon Provided by The Daily Chew The South Sweet potato mash The Daily Chew founder Julia Kesler Imerman Julia Kesler Imerman calls her Thanksgiving table semi-traditional with a lighter fresher spin Her family has incorporated fresh vegetables into Thanksgiving sides since moving to Atlanta from South Africa when she was three We have your traditional mac and cheese she stated We also have a sweet potato mash instead of mashed potatoes or in addition to sourdough stuffing It s very simple but it s very good Imerman s family also has a green bean salad roasted vegetables and savory cornbread muffins that contain actual pieces of corn There s consistently a lot of wine at the family s Thanksgiving table too Growing up Imerman s father called the shots in the kitchen When she was five her father let her start contributing to Thanksgiving prep mixing things in bowls and maybe trying to peel vegetables The family s meals were and still are more global than regional We ve been having an alternative to mashed potatoes since I was young Imerman noted My dad invariably loved using sweet potatoes or other root vegetables for a mash or puree on Thanksgiving And it s a tradition she continues with her own family Imerman uses olive oil in the sweet potatoes and incorporates a savory element by folding in sage-infused butter The development is brighter and not quite as heavy One notable exception from Imerman s family especially in the South is pork She usually offers a different braised meat such as brisket Her dad used to prepare lamb As Imerman s family has grown her Thanksgiving traditions have shifted She s taken over hosting between and people at her home in Midtown It s a big extended family lots of kids running around usually a big fire she disclosed Thanksgiving Day carries even more meaning for Imerman now that she s a mother Her oldest child took his first actions during a previous Thanksgiving meal Sweet potato mash with salted sage butter and cinnamon Serves Ingredients For the mash large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks to Tbsp salted butter cup whole milk or cream or warm oat almond milk tsp cinnamon Freshly ground black pepper For the salted sage butter Tbsp salted butter to fresh sage leaves Optional pinch of nutmeg or smoked paprika Extra flaky salt if needed taste first since using salted butter Instructions Cook the sweet potatoes Add sweet potato chunks to a pot and cover with cold water Bring to a boil then simmer for to minutes until tender Drain and let sit for minute to release steam Make the mash Add salted butter warm milk cream cinnamon and pepper Mash until smooth and creamy Taste and adjust seasoning Salted butter may mean no extra salt is needed Make the salted sage butter Melt the salted butter in a small skillet over medium heat Add sage leaves and cook until the butter foams and leaves crisp about minutes Remove from heat Add a small pinch of flaky salt only if needed Assemble Spread the mash into a serving bowl Spoon the salted sage butter over the top Garnish with crisp sage leaves and a dusting of cinnamon if preferred Macaroni pie from Chef Demetrius Brown Courtesy of Demetrius Brown The North Macaroni pie Bread Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown Rhode Island As a child Bread Butterfly and Heritage Supper Club chef Demetrius Brown bounced back and forth between his native Rhode Island and Georgia After graduating from Johnson Wales University Brown made Atlanta his permanent home Brown s family roots lie in the South and the Caribbean particularly in Trinidad At family gatherings the table typically features an eclectic mix of dishes representing the depth and breadth of the African diaspora Thanksgiving is no exception Rather than a traditional Thanksgiving feast the family cooks dishes from a chosen country each year But three dishes are consistently on the Thanksgiving table stuffing his brother s favorite his maternal great grandmother s spice cake and his fraternal great grandmother s macaroni pie It wouldn t be Thanksgiving without the savory Trinidadian pasta bake blended with sharp cheddar cheese milk eggs and pimento peppers with bucatini replacing macaroni My mom and my grandmother do a really amazing job making macaroni pie You can put anything on it Brown stated of the zesty Caribbean riff on mac and cheese At my grandmother s house we would eat it with red beans and rice I ll just mix mine with various gravy at Thanksgiving Brown makes macaroni pie with b chamel sauce adding cheese caramelized onions paprika onion and garlic powder to give it a big flavor boost Macaroni pie recipe Serves to Ingredients package of bucatini noodles eggs stick of butter cans of evaporated milk lb block of extra sharp white cheese Salt Pepper Instructions Cook pasta according to instructions - min Shred cheese Bring milk and butter to a simmer and slowly add of the cheese Season with salt and pepper to taste In a baking pan combine noodles and cheese Slowly mix in eggs Add remaining cheese to the top and bake at until golden brown or approximately to minutes The post North vs South Thanksgiving sides smackdown Family recipes 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