THIRTEEN FUN SIDE VEGETABLE DISHES
You’ve roasted a chicken or a big joint of good meat. You may have even cooked a whole fish or boiled a ham or some good eggs. It could be that you’ve just decided to have roasties and a whole lot of vegetable side dishes to pick from. It’s the kind of dinner I love to cook and to eat. I also have a lot of vegetarian friends so it can be handy to have just a general selection of dishes people can pick from and build a plate to their taste. That’s my kind of convivial dining!
It is also a fact that I’m a massive meat eater so cooking vegetarian dishes stretches my cooking skills and I find it fun and interesting. I’ve made some awful dishes in the past but sure, isn’t it how we learn? The vegetarian side dishes I share here are all absolutely foolproof and you will find something for every season and every occasion I hope they bring as much joy to your table as they have to mine.
Pictured above is one of my favourite, roast spuds, dusted with some grated Kylemore Farmhouse cheese. A perfect combination indeed.
This is my take on a staple from one of my very favourite restaurants. 777 is a vibrant modern Mexican inspired den of deliciousness in the heart of Dublin. Their elotes is something I must have every time I go there and once in a while, I’ll throw together these elotes in a bowl. They are particularly delicious with grilled meat. They’re hot and a bit smokey and deeply savoury, a total joy really.
If you like your cauliflower crispy and sticky with a sweet and sour vibe then this saucy roasted cauliflower recipe is just the ticket.
You’ve seen them on Instagram, on TikTok and on your mate’s table, but do you know how to improve your hasselback potatoes? Also great advice for hasselback carrots, hasselback beetroots, hasselback parsnips… you know where I’m going with this right?
Listen, this spelt and sorrel risotto recipe is one of my smartest hunches. Not a risotto I grant you since it’s not based rice, you still get where I’m going with it. It’s chewy but light and nutty and sharp. It’s a truly great dish if I do say so myself.
This green beans and tomato casserole is close to what my mam would give me with “steak haché” which is our version of a burger. Think mince meat compressed but not molded and cooked on high heat until seared on the outside but nice and rare on the inside….
Back for more chewy goodness with this spelt, sweetcorn and feta salad. Perfect for those lunches where you’re working from home. This also works really well as a lunch box filler. It’s better with the warm spelt but works really well when it’s at room temperature also.
I don’t like sweet corn, I love it and it’s on my dinner table at the very least once a week. Sometimes it’s salads, otherwise a warm dish or on the cob but I do adore them most in this gochujang sweetcorn fritters recipe. Try them and tell me you don’t love them. I double dare you!
As wild garlic season is fast approaching, I am reminded of this bowl of incredibly simple black-eyed peas. They are a staple in this house and I love them for their nuttiness and the fact that they don’t cook to a mush, yes, they do get soft but they’re not floury, they don’t disintegrate. They’re a beauty of a bean and you should give them a chance if you see them.
If you need a centre-piece, a total attention grabber, this whole cauliflower baked in smoked gubbeen bechamel is your bae.
This accidentally vegan aubergine recipe is nearly more of a dip than anything else but it’s bright and joyful and so full of flavour. Hard recommend.
This warm potato hash with halloumi recipe will work even better if you can source the ballyhubock one. It is expensive but it is like no halloumi you’ve tasted before. It is salty but sweet and tastes of the rich Wicklow grass the herd has fed on. Glorious, glorious cheese.
I could eat these carrots with miso butter and tarragon three times a week. The saltiness of the miso highlights the natural sweetness of the carrots. It works magnificently.
This Indian style salad is a fantastic palate cleanser.
