Unexpected and Unforgettable Thanksgiving Sides

I represent all the classics on Thanksgiving.

I just kinda twist 'em a little bit.

I really live up to

the Thanksgiving spirit,

so I'm all about roasted root vegetables.

I like green beans with fried shallots.

Brussels sprout with bacon.

But you want your Brussels sprout

to be a little burned on the edge.

I usually make a sweet potato and smoked chili gratin.

I think that there's nothing better to add to the table

than something that's unexpected.

Why not make something completely different?

Why not bring pastrami?

Or bring, instead of doing baked potatoes and stuff,

do a really cool french fry, or a hash brown.

I do whole roasted baby carrots.

I roast 'em with a little rosemary and thyme,

put 'em in the oven, and then once they're done,

I just hit 'em with some basil or mint

or parsley oil on top.

There's a mashed potato dish that I do

with this green chili queso sauce.

Basically I make really rich mashed potatoes,

and then I make a well in the middle of the mashed potatoes

in this big bowl, and I make a sauce like a queso sauce.

So it's like this melted Monterey Jack cheese

with lots of roasted green chilis and garlic,

and I just kinda set that in the middle of the well.

So you take a little of the potatoes

and a little bit of the queso, it's good.

My friend, Daniel, he takes orange cups, hollows 'em out,

and then he fills them with the sweet potatoes,

and then he broils 'em with the marshmallows,

so they're these little like orange candied yam cups.

The sweet potato is the quintessential garnish for turkey.

I am French so I don't put marshmallow

on my sweet potatoes, sorry.

But I put orange juice inside, banana, I put apple,

onion, pinch of curry, but very very little,

you don't know where it's coming from.

I hate banana except in my sweet potatoes.

Another pro move is to bring a vegetarian option.

'Cause I like to make a cabbage salad

with a tahini vinaigrette.

It's also cool using tahini instead of butter

for certain dressings, or instead of oil for dressing.

It's really helpful because you get the fat

that you want but it's vegan.

So if you wanna impress your guests,

roasted root vegetable chips,

they look beautiful and they're pretty easy to make.

So I take a mandolin and I get like parsnips and turnips,

any root vegetable that you really want.

And you slice 'em really nice and thin.

And then you take a roasting tray about,

as high as you can get it.

And you fill it with oil and you put

your roasted root vegetables in the oil cold,

and then you bring it up.

And then they fry and they become these awesome,

delicious, crisp root vegetable chips.

So my mom makes these Brussels sprouts,

pearl onions, and chestnuts which are delicious.

That's something you don't have except on Thanksgiving.

Chestnuts, you know.

Chestnuts roasting by the open fire, it's so good.

(upbeat rock music)