10 Thanksgiving Sides That Are Impossible to Screw Up

Turkey might be the centerpiece, but the sides are what make the meal on Thanksgiving.

And if done poorly, they can just as easily break it. Remember those mushy little balls of stink that Grandma called Brussels sprouts?

Sorry, Grandma. You need to get the hell out of the kitchen and let us show you how it's done.

First up: those very same Brussels sprouts. This time around, they're not boiled—they're roasted in the oven with bacon and tossed in warm pork fat before getting hit with a hint of citrus and salt. Stupid-simple.

Thanksgiving is nothing without stuffing—but it's best cooked outside the bird. (And call it "dressing" if you want to be that guy.) Matty Matheson's version is the kind that Mom used to make: no frills, just white bread dolled up with aromatics and poultry seasoning. Stove Top can't even compete.

Sweet potatoes can be hit or miss, but this version from Alex Raij is thoroughly on-point. The chef combines nutty Korean sweet potatoes with maple sage brown butter and buries them under a cloud of marshmallows. Just try to resist.

Too much butter, you say? Shut the hell up with that talk. But for the weight-watchers in your family, try this mashed sweet potato dish that includes just a bit of white potato and butternut squash for a hearty, carb-y, but lighter take that gets some nice caramelization action in the oven. Sweet, sweet, sweet.

Everyone has their opinions about what should go into the gravy. But ultimately, you're going to want to make the most of the fatty, savory juices found in the bottom of your turkey pan. Made with two kinds of broth—chicken and beef—and fresh thyme, sage, parsley, and shallots, this is the only gravy you'll need for smothering the bejeezus out of your mashed potatoes, turkey, or whatever else is taking up real estate on your plate.

Creamed corn might remind you of bad school lunches or that turn you did in the pen, but banish those memories from your mind. This version sticks to basics—frozen corn, butter, cream, maple syrup, and a bit of onion—but the flavor's all in the execution, bringing that corniness front and center.

Mashed potatoes are great and all, but they're also a blank canvas for decadence. These dairy-stuffed pommes aligot from chef Hugue Dufour of M. Wells Steakhouse are certainly not traditional for Thanksgiving (the French name's enough of a giveaway) but they are delicious as all get-out. Why? Because they're more butter and cheese than potato. Yes.

If you're lacking in confidence when it comes to your culinary skills but still want to knock it out of the park when it comes to a damn good casserole dish of creamy taters, twice-baked cream cheese mashed potatoes are the answer. With just four ingredients (including large quantities of butter and cream cheese for you gluttons) and a few quick steps, this recipe cannot be fucked up. Assign it to your 12-year-old brother, then sit back and wait to dig in to potato heaven.

Tempting as it may be to fill your entire digestive tract exclusively with meat, carbs, and starch, consider eating an actual vegetable, too. Roast bright carrots in an easy-to-make apple cider gastrique, then top them with dollops of creamy ricotta and earthy pistachios.

Cranberry sauce, though certainly a Thanksgiving tradition, gives some people the heebie-jeebies with its gelatinous texture and sanguine color. These people have only had the misfortune of tasting the crappy stuff that comes in a can (and out of the can in the same cylindrical, jiggling form). Make your ancestors proud for once in your life and cook up your own instead. All you have to do is throw frozen cranberries in a pot with orange zest, apple cider, and a few spices that are going to make your kitchen smell seriously dope. You'll feel like you're trying cranberry sauce for the first time—it's really more of a compote, anyway.