Striped Spatula

recipes with great taste

Header Right

You are here: Home / Archives for Side Dishes

Side Dishes

The Creamiest Mashed Potatoes

5 Comments

These Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are the creamiest potatoes you’ll ever taste. Rich and indulgent, they are perfect for Thanksgiving or any holiday dinner. Make ahead and reheat over simmering water for easy entertaining.

creamy mashed potatoes recipe cream cheese

Growing up, we always had large holiday gatherings. The table was beautifully-set, and my mother would bring out dish after dish of our favorite foods, including these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes. Then and now, she always seems to pull off everything effortlessly when she entertains.

I learned everything I know about elegant entertaining from my mother. Even when something went wrong, our guests never knew it.

Like, one Thanksgiving of my early teenage years when I almost ruined the mashed potatoes….

Read More

Simple Sweet Corn Succotash

2 Comments

Sweet Corn Succotash is the best of summer in a bowl! With fresh corn, lima beans, and cherry tomatoes, this simple succotash recipe is a perfect way to utilize your farmer’s market haul.

simple corn succotash recipe

Local produce season is in full swing! As is usually the case this time of year, I’ve been spending the weekends exploring farm markets, filling my burlap bags to the brim with summer’s best treasures.

Warm, lazy Sundays + fresh produce = perfection.

Juicy heirloom tomatoes are just starting to reach their prime and the Jersey-fresh corn has been extra sweet this year. My grandmother’s tomato salad has been in regular rotation in my kitchen, as has my Mexican Street Corn Soup. Let’s just say, we’ve been eating well!

I also love to combine two of my favorite market staples—corn and tomatoes—in this Sweet Corn Succotash recipe. It’s a colorful, flavorful dish that’s simple to make; less than 30 minutes from start to finish!

sweet summer corn cobs

…

Read More

Creamy Leek and Cabbage Colcannon

11 Comments

My Colcannon recipe combines rich and creamy mashed potatoes with Savoy cabbage, sweet leeks, and a touch of garlic. Drizzle the top with melted Irish butter and dig in for an easy addition to your St. Patrick’s Day feast!

creamy leek and cabbage colcannon recipe

This time last year, I’d never tasted colcannon. I had heard about this Irish potato dish so many times, and somehow, St. Patrick’s Day came and went every year without any colcannon on my table.

As someone who’s weak in the face of good mashed potatoes, I’m not sure how this trend persisted for so long.

When I finally made a batch last year, I was fiercely annoyed with myself for having waited. To channel my inner 90’s teenager, these potatoes are seriously “all that.”

I’ve made colcannon several times since, testing a couple of different flavor variations. This recipe, with sautéed Savoy cabbage and leeks, has become our favorite. It’s amazing alongside corned beef, roasted lamb, or any stout-braised meat. I’m not sure I can ever have another St. Patrick’s Day feast without it!

…

Read More

Gorgonzola Macaroni and Cheese

10 Comments

Creamy Gorgonzola Macaroni and Cheese with sweet caramelized leeks, salty pancetta, and a blend of three rich cheeses is an elegant twist on a comfort food classic. Don’t forget the cheesy, crunchy, buttery bread crumbs on top!

Creamy Gorgonzola Macaroni and Cheese recipe

Back in the 80’s, Macaroni and Cheese and I had an unfortunate encounter.

I spent an afternoon at my friend’s house, and, with the best of intentions, her older sister made us lunch with a boxed mix. Looking back on it, it was probably a stovetop mix, but she popped it in the microwave instead for about a minute.

As young as I was, I still remember chewing the crunchy, uncooked noodles!

Through the years, I’ve gotten to taste many different types of macaroni and cheese (fortunately, all with fully-cooked pasta) and have developed something of a love affair with the dish.

It’s the ultimate winter comfort food in my house. It’s decadent, it’s warming, and while it isn’t exactly health food in all of it’s buttery, cheesy glory, it’s a dish that’s so worth the occasional splurge.

Gorgonzola Mac and Cheese Ingredients

…

Read More