The Side Dish Bible

The America’s Test Kitchen team elevates the humble side dish to center stage in this excellent collection of 1,001 recipes. Among the vast selection of vegetables, there is a Mediterranean-inspired roasted okra with fennel and oregano, as well as garlicky swiss chard with raisins and goat cheese cooked in a Dutch oven. Potatoes merit a chapter of their own, featuring such options as duck fat–roasted potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes with garlic and coconut, in which coconut milk replaces cream and butter. Plenty of grains and pastas are on display, including a Hawaiian macaroni salad and couscous with pistachio and cilantro, ideal for dinner parties since the editors suggest it can be served warm or at room temperature. For the holidays, green bean casserole employs fresh cremini mushrooms and comes together quickly, despite calling for 14 ingredients and sautéing them in three sequential bouts. Every recipe is accompanied by nutritional data, while icons indicate which dishes are fast, vegan, and/or can be made ahead. Benefiting from the clarity that comes from experience and experiments, ATK shows off its many sides in this comprehensive volume. (Nov.)