For me, backyard barbecues and Thanksgiving dinners are similar events. At both, I secretly don’t care much about the main course. You’d never know, because I make all the requisite gasps and coos at all the correct times. But really, I’m there for the sides.
Yes, I love to see turkey or burgers (or turkey burgers) on the menu, but watch me carefully and you’ll catch me loading up a plate with salads, sauces, potatoes and buttery vegetables, all offset by a mere shred or two of the meal’s putative star. If I had to guess, I’d diagnose this behavior as a hangover from a few lost years as a vegetarian.
And with the upcoming Labor Day holiday fast approaching, I’ve been dreaming of side dishes once again, this time thinking about Southern-Maine-sourced foods that would be a welcome addition to any barbecue, picnic or Thanksgiving table. Here are several of my favorites.
Mashed potatoes and vegan baked beans from Dizzy Birds Rotisserie, Biddeford (Both $7.99/pint)
After I reviewed Dizzy Birds Rotisserie a few years ago, I made a habit of ordering takeout every time I passed through Biddeford. Sometimes, I’d carry my meal down to Mechanics Park, where I’d watch the ever-present, collision-prone skateboarders. Other times, I’d order items I knew would keep well in the fridge, stockpiling them for future midnight snacking — dishes like skin-on Yukon Gold potatoes mashed roughly with caramelized-onion-infused cream ($7.99/pint) or sticky, slow-cooked white navy beans simmered in a brown sugar, mustard and molasses sauce. As special as the beans are, the fact that they’re served from a hand-me-down bean crock once lovingly used by owner Barb Peacock’s mom somehow makes them taste even better.
The potato kugel, foreground, and a knish, background, from Ben Reuben’s Knishery in South Portland. Photo by Andrew Ross
Savory potato kugel from Ben Reuben’s Knishery, South Portland ($4.75)
Looking for a casserole-like potato side that will stand up to all the jostling and abuse you can throw at it? Try a potato kugel. You can transport this compact, oniony dish down a gravel road on a unicycle, and it’ll emerge looking flawless. Some might call it dense; I call it concentrated.
Ben Reuben’s chef Graeme Miller flavors his version of this traditional Jewish dish with thyme and roasted garlic oil, then portions it into neat, geometric squares. I’m a fan of the golden brown edges that appear on the pieces baked in contact with the hot metal of the pan. Hand me a corner slice, please. Also not to be missed at Ben Reuben’s: their paprika-and-currant-seasoned chicken salad, which can be purchased on its own ($9.50 for approximately a pint) or in knish form, split open and drizzled with a spoonful of horseradish sauce ($6.25).
The Health Salad at Rose Foods would make a standout side dish for Labor Day or Thanksgiving. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
Health Salad from Rose Foods, Portland ($4/serving or $15/quart on the catering menu)
As much as I love a barbecue, I don’t generally feel the same way about cole slaw. Often soggy and drowning in mayonnaise, slaw is the one barbecue accompaniment I’m most likely to leave untouched. But there are exceptions. Rose Food’s Health Salad, a fresher, crisper cousin of slaw, is one. Here, carrots and purple cabbage get a crunch-assist from shredded fennel — an ingredient that also imparts anise flavors to dill, caraway seeds and scallions. It’s crunchy and tart and offsets heavier dishes beautifully. Try it with (or even on) a burger.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage from Sichuan Kitchen, Portland ($13)
Another surrogate for the slaw-phobic, Sichuan Kitchen’s tender, umami-suffused cabbage side dish gets much of its appeal from a triple whammy of soy, zingy black vinegar, and buzzy, numbing Sichuan pepper. Yet this isn’t a side that will blow your skull off with its fiery heat. Instead, this is an accompaniment suited to cuddling up with main dishes that showcase bolder, smokier flavors. Steaks, sausages and ribs might not have been the original partners for this traditional Sichuan dish, but they make unexpectedly fantastic matches nonetheless.
Italian Pasta Salad from Anania’s Variety Store, Portland ($10.99/quart)
Another classic picnic side dish that can go horribly wrong is pasta salad. But when it’s made well, it can transform a meal. Anania’s gets the balance right, starting with barely cooked rotini that soaks up the vinegary dressing without slumping into a starchy mess. Among the supple pasta spirals, you’ll discover chunks of ultra-garlicky pepperoni, diced red onion, and my favorite, nuggets of oil-slicked provolone cheese.
You may not know exactly what cheeses you’ll get when you order the Cheesemonger’s Pick Platter from The Cheese Shop of Portland, but you can count on them being good. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
Cheesemonger’s Pick Platter from The Cheese Shop of Portland ($110)
While this eight-to-ten-serving party plate isn’t cheap, the quality of the cheeses, house-marinated olives and local crackers selected by shop owners Will and Mary Sissle is undisputable. Their cheese options also vary from week-to-week (sometimes day-to-day), so I asked the Sissles for a preview of what might be in stock for a Labor Day customer.
“At the moment, I’ve been absolutely loving a few Goudas we get from some fantastic producers overseas. Irish Coolea and Rispen’s Sheep Gouda from the Netherlands…We also continually have some beautiful cider-washed Cyclones from Fuzzy Udder Creamery that are buttery, smooth and just funky enough,” Will Sissle said.
Sir King Infamous Mac & Cheese from Sir King Kitchen, Old Orchard Beach ($15/large, approximately pint-sized serving)
Chef Dimitri King’s new, fast-casual restaurant features all the traditional Jamaican dishes you’d expect — aromatic brown stew chicken ($20), curried goat ($20), beef patties ($6) — but don’t get distracted. We’re on a mission for excellent side dishes, and his “infamous” macaroni and cheese fits the bill nicely. Normally served as an accompaniment to most of the restaurant’s entrees, Sir King’s gooey, balanced mac is a savory delight on its own. And if your barbecue needs a little extra oomph, King’s kooky-yet-charming jerk chicken pizza ($14.99) offers a singular patchwork of flavors: everything from peppery habanero to warming allspice.
Andrew Ross has written about food and dining in New York and the United Kingdom. He and his work have been featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio and in The New York Times. He is the recipient of four recent Critic’s Awards from the Maine Press Association. Contact him at: andrewross.maine@gmail.com
Twitter: @AndrewRossME
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