28 Christmas side dishes

Potatoes are without question one of the most common and popular side dishes wherever you go. However, to make Christmas dinner just a bit extra special, you ought to try something slightly more sophisticated than ordinary boiled potatoes.

Confit potatoes are just that. They are in fact potatoes that instead having been boiled, are gently poached in warm oil.

This adds a richness and depth of flavour that you would not get otherwise - perfect for a hearty Christmas dinner.

To further enrich the confit potatoes, I infused the cooking oil with fresh rosemary and garlic. Use left over potatoes for a potato casserole recipe.

An untraditional but delicious choice for your Christmas dinner. Parsnips are in season during the cold months of the year and a fantastic side for many a meat course.

These parmesan parsnips are a more modern take on this classic side. The batons of parsnips are beautifully crispy on the outside and yet nice and soft on the inside.

Gratin dauphinois is one of all time favourite side dishes. The rich creamy texture is perfect for a Christmas time roast dinner. Gratin dauphinois is the classic French side dish for roast meat.

Not unsimilar to the familiar British scalloped potatoes, a well made gratin dauphinois is a creamy, heart warming delight, that fits perfectly for a Christmas dinner. Excellent with collard greens.

Despite the peculiar name of this dish, this is an excellent Christmas side dish. Not only are these macho peas a tasty side dish, they are also extremely easy to prepare, which will take some of the burden of cooking Christmas dinner off your shoulders.

Essentially, macho peas are buttered green peas mixed with red chili and herbs. You might find chili to be somewhat untraditional on the Christmas table.

However, I personally find this hint of spice to be a delightful way of lifting up a heavy meal. Excellent for getting the metabolism going.

If you are looking for a gluten free Christmas side dish, these scalloped potatoes is the perfect choice. Its rich, creamy and cheesy texture makes scalloped potatoes the ideal Christmas side dish.

For many of us it is probably a Sunday classic, and with good reason. This is pure comfort food, and who wouldn’t want that at their Christmas dinner.

These scalloped potatoes need no flour and are completely gluten free.

Vegetables can make for comfort food too. These creamed leeks will certainly be a nice addition to your Christmas dinner.

A simple to make, yet flavourful and creamy dish, is the top side dish for Christmas. With very few ingredients, creamed leeks is a super simple recipe, that anyone can cook. Even with the pressure of having to cook an entire Christmas dinner.

If you a having a hard time getting the kids to eat their vegetables, I feel confident that these creamed leeks will go down easy.

This recipe also works well with collard greens. If you love the latter, then you'll love this recipe.

Every Christmas dinner needs a green side dish. Actually, brussels sprouts is one of the very best winter vegetables there is.

Some of you might tell me that you don’t like brussels sprouts. Combined with butter, this cooking method keeps the texture of the sprouts, and enrich that beautiful flavour.

If your bad memories are built on overcooked and soggy sprouts, it is time to forget about them and try this recipe instead.

If you are looking for a somewhat lighter Christmas side dish, this carrot and parsnip mash could be just that dish. The sweetness of the carrots combined with the nutty flavour of the parsnips makes for the top paring to a roast dinner.

Actually, this carrot and parsnip mash is completely vegan. So if you are attempting a meat free Christmas dinner, this mash is certainly a must.

Carrot and swede mash is another healthy Christmas side dish. Swede is often overlooked, but actually makes for a great substitute for regular potatoes in a mash.

Moreover, the nutty, slightly bitter flavour is the perfect pairing for roast meat. Don’t worry about the mash being bitter as the sweetness of the carrots balances out the flavour.

Perhaps untraditional for a Christmas side dish, but carrot and swede mash is very low in calories.

Butter bean mash is one of these great recipes that takes a humble ingredient and makes it memorable dish. A delicious alternative to a normal potato mash, the butter bean mash is no less of a Christmas side dish.

Not to mention, that you can adjust the flavour of the mash to the main course, by adding different kinds of fresh herbs to it.

For example, if you are having lamb, you can add rosemary to the butter bean mash because it will pair wonderfully with the meat. Alternatively, you can serve the butter bean mash as a vegan dish by itself.

I simply cannot resist a good mash, and therefore I always find myself looking for new varieties to try out. After some experimenting, I came up with this carrot and turnip mash.

It is the perfect way of bringing a winter vegetable such as the turnip to life. Furthermore, it makes for a quaint and light Christmas side dish.

Depending on what you are going to serve it with, you can season the mash accordingly. For example, for grilled meats you add garlic to the carrot and turnip mash.

As a Christmas side dish, I quite like to add a pinch of nutmeg to the mash. It adds a comforting aroma, excellent for the holidays.

Ordinarily, a cauliflower mash would require milk. However, since I wanted to create a vegan cauliflower mash, I substituted the regular milk with almond milk.

Even though your Christmas dinner might not be vegan, this vegan cauliflower mash is still a great side dish. For a deeper flavour, blend in some roasted garlic. This will lend a richness to the mash, fitting for the Christmas table.

This mash is another brilliant and versatile side dish that ought to find its way to your Christmas table. In America, sweet potatoes are a regular companion to roast turkey at Thanksgiving.

Whether you are serving bird or beef at your house, this delicious mash is the ideal Christmas side dish, perfect for soaking up that gravy.

In addition, it is super simple to prepare, so you can whip it up in no time at all. A great solution if you have more difficult jobs to focus on in the kitchen.

Probably many of us enjoy eating pigs-in-blankets at Christmas time. You could say that these asparagus wrapped in parma ham is a healthier version.

Despite asparagus being out of season, you should be able to get them in the supermarket, even around Christmas time.

Asparagus wrapped in parma ham is an excellent side dish, with sweet and salty falvours combined. The rich and intense parma ham makes a crusty wrapping for the roasted asparagus.

Admittedly, the cumin on these roast carrots adds an oriental flair to the dish that might seem out of place at Christmas. That being said, I really enjoy the flavour of cumin, and I think this spice should be harnessed a lot more than it is.

Cumin roast carrots make an especially good Christmas side dish if you are having roast Turkey for dinner.

Roast potatoes is probably one of the most classic and iconic side dishes in British cuisine.

In my version I roast the baby hasselbacked potatoes with rosemary to give that bold, herbal flavour that makes this dish such an interesting Christmas side dish. Not only do these roast potatoes taste fantastic by themselves, they are also great for scooping up some of that rich gravy.

The name says it all doesn’t it? No Christmas dinner would be truly complete without Christmas rice as a side dish.

Admittedly, this side dish is a little bit more labour intensive, however the result is super rewarding. It combines some of those familiar Christmas aromas like cinnamon, cloves and cranberries, with rice and green beans.

I particularly like the exotic freshness, that the pomegranate arils add to the dish. Christmas rice is an absolutely beautiful dish to serve, with all its vibrant colours.

Butternut dauphinois is a new take on the gratin dauphinois. Instead of just ordinary potatoes I am using butternut squash instead.

The nutty pumpkin flavour is fantastic for the season, and the rich creamy texture makes it an ideal Christmas side dish. Besides, who doesn't love butternut squash?

Creamed cauliflower is an excellent alternative if you like cauliflower but want a different texture than a mash. The little nutty tasting bouquets of cauliflower covered in cream, and topped with bread crumbs and grated cheese, always make for a great side dish.

Another super easy and seasonal side dish for you. Roasted jerusalem artichokes are a great alternative to roast potatoes.

The crispy outside, with the soft inside, makes you keep coming back for more. An excellent Christmas side dish, with its warm nutty flavour.

Gratin is not only something you can make with regular potatoes. In fact, sweet potatoes is an even better choice for a Christmas side dish.

Sweet potatoes, as we know, are much enjoyed at Christmas time, and with this sweet potato gratin, you can take it to the next level. You can use the leftover sweet potatoes to make a mashed potatoes recipes.

Christmas wouldn't be the same without mashed potatoes. Plus, everyone has their own version of mashed potatoes, so why not try them with the leftovers.

A long time Christmas favourite, not only in Iceland but throughout Scandinavia as well. These caramelised small potatoes, are obviously quite sweet.

However, they actually work surprisingly well with meat, especially combined with the traditional Scandinavian Christmas ham, or with roasted duck.

Creamed spinach adds a splash of green to your Christmas table. Season with nutmeg to make it extra suitable for a Christmas dinner.

The rich creamy texture will certainly make everyone eat their greens tonight

You could almost call this a sprout salad. Brussel sprouts are in season in late fall and winter, making them the ideal Christmas side dish.

In this combination, the bacon, blue cheese and pecan nuts make the brussels sprouts really shine. A great Christmas side dish that you can keep eating all winter long.

Roasted asparagus is classic side dish recipe, frequently utilised in French bistros to the British gastro pubs, and far beyond.

You can either oven roast or pan fry your asparagus. Either way, a tasty green Christmas side dish, that is extremely simple to prepare.

There is just something about that sweetness of these roasted shallots that screams Christmas to your taste buds.

As a Christmas side dish, it is one of my favourites. These honey glazed shallots are especially good with venison or roast beef.

Brussel sprouts probably need no further introduction as king of the winter vegetables. Nonetheless these brussels sprouts with parmesan makes for a particularly appealing Christmas side dish.

First boiled, then sautéed until golden and finally topped with parmesan cheese. A side dish full of flavour yet healthy at the same time.

This recipe is certainly an interesting dish if you are trying to go vegan. In fact, you could even serve this dish as a main course rather than a side dish.

The addition of beans and tofu makes the dish so filling that you will not miss any meat at all. The incredible maple syrup glaze adds to the Christmas spirit.