The side dish.
It’s like the sidekick to the superhero.
While we know the turkey is the main event for many people across the country for the Thanksgiving Day table, it is indeed the side dish which most people pile onto their plates as they sit down to give thanks, break bread with family and gorge themselves into a food coma.
With nearly 73,000 members, we put our 321 Flavor: Where Brevard Eats Facebook group to the test and asked them this question: What ONE side dish is a must at your Thanksgiving feast?
More:Space Coast grocery store hours on Thanksgiving: Are any open near you?
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The poll in and of itself created a challenge for voters.
“Nooo Fair!! I DON’T like this Game!!” exclaimed Maggie Robinson on the post in the Facebook group. “I have three mandatory items!! I mean how does even decide between deviled eggs and mash taters!!!”
321 Flavor member Mary Morano agreed. “Can’t do one. Sorry.”
We created the list as a poll and all of the answers on the poll are included below:
Note: We did not include gravy as a side dish because as a former colleague once quipped at a FLORIDA TODAY feast of thanks: “How can they possibly expect us to eat turkey without any gravy?” We just took it as a given.
Mashed potatoes: 52%
Light and fluffy or thick and chunky, for most people the hands-down, most-required side dish on the Thanksgiving table is mashed potatoes — which seems fair enough since the turkey can’t hold ALL the gravy.
Sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole: 15%
Because you know you have to have the sweet to go along with the savory, sweet potatoes — or more importantly, sweet potato casserole with a variety of toppings including crushed pecans, brown sugar, marshmallows or a combination of those or more — is a must for many on the Thanksgiving menu.
Green beans and green bean casserole: 8%
Because what else are you going to do with that can of Cambpell’s Cream of Mushroom soup that you bought on special last Thanksgiving for the same recipe? And that half-empty container of French’s Crispy Fried Onions needs to get used up, too.
Stay informed with the news you want, delivered to your inbox.
Cornbread stuffing: 7%
Cooked inside the bird or in a pan on its own, there are many ways to make cornbread stuffing, but 7% of the 321 Flavor voters require this on their Thanksgiving spread.
Mac and cheese: 6%
Our most controversial of dishes on the list, mac & cheese is a staple for many on the day of thanks. While several people immediately associated the idea of mac & cheese with the $1.24-a-box Kraft Original Mac & Cheese, the true mac and cheese connoisseur craves the homemade version with thicker elbow macaroni and dripping with a thick cheese sauce. Also, bringing your own version to someone’s house for Thanksgiving is the equivalent of bringing your version of potato salad to the cookout you’ve been invited to — don’t do it.
One member declared “Anyone who says mac & cheese was raised in a Walmart.”
But Bob Isbell handled the comment in stride: “Most of us have had homemade M&C on our Thanksgiving tables since long before Walmart ever hit Brevard.”
Canned cranberry sauce: 3%, vs. fresh cranberry sauce: 2%
For some people, the cranberry sauce has to be freshly made for the Thanksgiving Day table. But those who want fresh are actually outnumbered by those who insist on the gelatinous blob kind, complete with can ripples notched into it. Some even go so far as to say the ripples provide a perfect unit of measurement and guide by which to slice. Also, if you get the canned stuff on a two-for-one special, there will be plenty to spare for those post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.
For those wanting fresh, 321 Flavor member Judy Dismukes McLaren had a good suggestion. “Publix has ridic(ulous) cranberry/orange sauce. In the deli section, seasonal item. Save yourself the trouble of making it.”
Deviled eggs: 2%
How can half an egg take up so much space on a plate? Because most people don’t take just one of these delicious mouthfuls. Deviled eggs are a staple of Thanksgiving and you can tell where the chef who made them is from based on the contents or toppings on the eggs — maybe a little relish in the mixture or heavier on the mustard? How about topped with bacon bits, paprika or a black olive slice?
Pineapple casserole, broccoli casserole, rice, salad dishes: 1%
Pineapple casserole, broccoli casserole, rice and salad dishes, like the aforementioned potato salad, each received one percent of our online vote. While pineapple casserole is more traditionally an Easter dish, many do enjoy it alongside their sweet potato casserole. Broccoli casserole is another that a few just have to have. Many cultures that have been incorporated into the fabric of American households usually have some kind of rice dish offering. And salad dishes from potato salad, coleslaw, broccoli salad, three-bean etc., etc., at least offer the concept of healthy eating because of the word “salad.”
Honorable mentions
Honorable mentions, which means they were on the list and got no votes, included corn dishes, regular or sourdough stuffing, collard greens or spinach and yams.
