While it’s easy to wow your guests with a delicious Coleman All Natural Meats Applewood Smoked Spiral Ham in the center of your holiday table, side dishes can be a bit of a challenge. Here at Coleman All Natural Meats, we’ve come up with some fun and creative side dishes that will add some dazzle to your holiday dinner.
Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
This is a lighter, simpler alternative to the traditional green bean casserole. With only four ingredients, this dish is quick to prepare and can easily be doubled or tripled.
Scalloped Potatoes
Rich and delicious, this is the perfect holiday accompaniment for a ham. Because it takes a couple of hours of oven time to bake the potatoes, you can make them a day or two ahead, then cool, cover the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate. After the meat comes out of the oven to rest, pop the pan into the oven at 350 degrees F until the potatoes are hot, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and chives.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
If you want something a little simpler than scalloped potatoes, but want to liven up the mashers, add a little garlic, some crunchy bacon and a sprinkling of chives. The garlic cooks with the potatoes, and we recommend using cream and plenty of butter to make them extra rich and special.
Cheesy Bacon Sweet Potato Casserole
Some people like their sweet potatoes covered in gooey marshmallows or dripping with maple syrup and butter, but sweet potatoes make a delicious savory dish, also. Here, the sweetness of the potatoes is complemented by the smoky, crispy bacon and a sharp cheddar cheese. Like the scalloped potatoes, this dish can also be prepared in advance, refrigerated, and then heated about 30 minutes before serving.
Sourdough Stuffing with Kielbasa
No holiday meal is complete without stuffing, even if your centerpiece is a ham. This one is simple and flavorful with herbs and Coleman Meats Smoked Kielbasa. If you can’t find pine nuts, you can sub chopped walnuts and add dried cranberries or tart dried cherries for the currants.
Tips to make your holiday dinner stress-free
- Decide on a menu. Take into account any special dietary needs for your guests along with any family traditions.
- Review your recipes, then take a tour through your kitchen equipment and pantry. Inventory your serving pieces, baking and roasting pans, and pantry staples like flour, sugar and butter. Make sure you have everything you’ll need before you start cooking.
- Make a comprehensive grocery list and stick to it. Mark items off the list as you add them to your cart so you don’t forget anything.
- Do as much cooking ahead as is practical, especially dishes that will be competing for oven space with the main course.
- Double up dishes in your oven. For example, you could warm the scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes and stuffing all in the same 350-degree oven after the ham comes out and is resting.
- Clean as you go and keep your workspace organized so you don’t end up with a chaotic mess after dinner is over. You want to be able to relax and enjoy all the compliments your guests will deliver.
The Coleman Way, since 1875, is our commitment to quality, taking pride in humanely raising animals on family farms in the U.S.A. with no antibiotics ever, no growth hormones, and 100% vegetarian fed. The result is premium, great-tasting, all-natural meats in a variety of cuts and flavors that can be easily prepared and that you can feel good about serving to family and friends.
