Fast Christmas Side Dishes

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Con Poulos

From creamy vanilla bean-whipped sweet potatoes to a green bean-and-blood orange salad, here are fast Christmas side dishes.

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Christmas Salad 

Natasha Phan of L.A.'s Kogi restaurant empire craves this crisp, fresh salad during the holidays, when there's always an abundance of rich dishes at the table.

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Green Bean-and-Blood Orange Salad

“Blood oranges are part of my Sicily fascination,” Renato Poliafito says. He uses the segments to add color and tang to green beans and reduces the juice with balsamic vinegar to make the dressing.

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Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

New York chef Gerry Hayden, a friend of Michael Mina, was staying with the family one Christmas and contributed this side dish to the holiday meal. Everybody fell for the combination of creamy pureed potato and fragrant vanilla.

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Roasted Broccoli with Walnuts and Goat Cheese

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Gingered Green Beans

Scott Conant makes his crisp-tender beans with ground ginger, since freshly grated ginger invariably creates unappealing little chunks.

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Spicy Raw Beet Slaw with Citrus, Scallions and Arugula

There’s so much richness on the holiday table that a few tart and spicy things are necessary for balance, like this raw beet slaw.

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Steamed Leeks with Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette

Leeks are low in calories and rich in phytochemicals. They’re also among the sweetest members of the onion family, making them a perfect match for this tangy mustard vinaigrette.

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Creamed Spinach and Parsnips

This luscious side dish can be prepared up to three days ahead. The duo of sweet parsnip and creamy spinach is unbeatable.

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Yukon Golds with Shallot Butter

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Shaved Rutabagas with Butter and Black Pepper

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Broccoli and Cheddar Casserole with Leeks

This classic is updated with deep-flavored cheddar and a crunchy topping of crumbled crackers and toasted almonds.

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Kale with Currants, Lemon and Olives

Boiling kale before sautéing it is key to making it tender. If the stems and center veins are very tough, Marcia Kiesel advises removing them: Fold the kale leaves in half with the vein side out, then pull up on the stems.

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Carrots with Tahini Dressing

"I like the clean flavors in this dish," says Sam Mogannam of this incredibly simple side, which is as good with turkey as it is with steamed fish, roast chicken or pork.

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Fennel, Apple and Celery Salad with Watercress

To maintain crispness, toss the salad just before setting it out on the buffet.

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Mashed Potatoes with Butternut Squash

For ultrafluffy potatoes, Grace Parisi presses them through a ricer. To achieve a similar texture, pass the potatoes through a food mill or a fine-mesh sieve. If you choose to mash them by hand, be gentle; otherwise, the potatoes will turn gluey. Grace offers other creative ideas for fluffy mashed potatoes like Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Fresh Thyme and Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Shallots.

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Spicy Braised Escarole

Chef Way Andrew Carmellini prepares this dish with homemade bread crumbs and hard-to-find Sicilian oregano.

Easy Way Top spicy greens with crispy panko (packaged Japanese bread crumbs) and a touch of supermarket oregano.

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Lemony Brussels Sprout Slaw

To make this refreshingly lemony slaw, start with firm brussels sprouts and shred them in a food processor. Roasted sunflower seeds are the perfect finish.

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Braised Greens with Tomatoes

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Green Beans and Salsify with Country Ham and Pecans

For his simple side dish, Dean Fearing sautes crisp green beans with caramelized salsify, toasted pecans and strips of intense country ham. At home, he jokingly calls them "all-day" green beans--in fact, they take about half an hour to prepare.

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Crunchy Cabbage Icebox Salad

"This is a salad you can keep in your refrigerator until you're ready to serve; just like your summer slaw, but for winter," says Jenn Louis. The crisp vegetables mixed with the creamy yogurt dressing would also be excellent as a filling in tacos.

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Roasted Squash with Crispy Bulgur Crumbs

F&W's Kay Chun tops sweet roasted winter squash with crispy pan-fried bulgur seasoned with coriander seeds.

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Candied Cranberry Sauce

Cooked with less water and in a wide skillet, tart cranberries get candied in the sugar syrup and remain almost whole in this delicious cranberry sauce.

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Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

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Sautéed Parsnips with Dates and Spiced Yogurt

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Five-Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Walnut Toffee

Crunchy toffee stands in for the usual marshmallow topping on these sweet potatoes, which Shawn McClain glazes with brown sugar and spice-scented butter.

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Roasted Winter Squash with Vanilla Butter

Con Poulos

Fragrant vanilla-bean butter does double duty here—it both flavors the squash and softens the skin during roasting. The greater the variety of winter squash you use, the more interesting the dish will be.

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Fast Christmas Side Dishes

1 of 27

Christmas Salad

2 of 27

Green Bean-and-Blood Orange Salad

3 of 27

Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

4 of 27

Roasted Broccoli with Walnuts and Goat Cheese

5 of 27

Gingered Green Beans

6 of 27

Spicy Raw Beet Slaw with Citrus, Scallions and Arugula

7 of 27

Steamed Leeks with Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette

8 of 27

Creamed Spinach and Parsnips

9 of 27

Yukon Golds with Shallot Butter

10 of 27

Shaved Rutabagas with Butter and Black Pepper

11 of 27

Broccoli and Cheddar Casserole with Leeks

12 of 27

Kale with Currants, Lemon and Olives

13 of 27

Carrots with Tahini Dressing

14 of 27

Fennel, Apple and Celery Salad with Watercress

15 of 27

Mashed Potatoes with Butternut Squash

16 of 27

Spicy Braised Escarole

17 of 27

Lemony Brussels Sprout Slaw

18 of 27

Braised Greens with Tomatoes

19 of 27

Green Beans and Salsify with Country Ham and Pecans

20 of 27

Crunchy Cabbage Icebox Salad

21 of 27

Roasted Squash with Crispy Bulgur Crumbs

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Candied Cranberry Sauce

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Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

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Sautéed Parsnips with Dates and Spiced Yogurt

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Five-Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Walnut Toffee

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Roasted Winter Squash with Vanilla Butter

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Christmas Salad 