Side Dishes

Old-fashioned Southern fried okra: sliced rounds dipped in buttermilk, tossed in seasoned cornmeal, the loose meal shaken off, and fried in batches in half an inch of hot oil in a cast iron skillet without stirring. Crisp, brown and never slimy.

Real Southern grits: stone-ground or old-fashioned grits, never instant, whisked into salted boiling water and stirred low and slow for 30 to 45 minutes until creamy, then finished with butter, salt and pepper. The sugar question answered plainly.

Old-fashioned Southern chicken and cornbread dressing baked in a 9x13 pan: day-old cornbread and stale white bread, onion and celery cooked in butter, sage, hot broth from a poached chicken, eggs and cream of chicken soup, baked until the top crisps and the inside stays soft.

The yellow potluck potato salad: potatoes boiled in their skins, dressed while still warm with mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish and chopped eggs, then chilled overnight. Cups and grams, and the one rule that makes it.

Real Southern skillet cornbread: all cornmeal, buttermilk, and a cast iron skillet heated until the batter hisses when it goes in. Crisp brown crust, tender crumb, no sugar, with the sweet version given as a variation.

Real Southern pimento cheese: sharp cheddar grated by hand, diced pimentos with their juice, mayonnaise, black pepper and cayenne. The base recipe plus the three family variations, pickle juice, cream cheese, or both. Cups and grams.

These air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites are the snack that changed my mind about cauliflower. They come out golden, crispy, and coated in a buttery hot sauce that clings to…

These air fryer green beans with parmesan are a weeknight rescue — crisp-tender, salty, and cheesy in under 10 minutes. I made them on a Tuesday when I had nothing planned, and my…

Easy caprese salad skewers are what you make when you need something impressive but have zero time to cook. You know the feeling—guests arriving in 20 minutes, and you want to put…

When you need a side dish that feels special but comes together without fuss, look no further than simply delicious potato side dishes delmonico style. They’re the definition of…

Air fryer onion rings are the crispy, golden answer to a weeknight craving. My kid, who usually pushes onions to the side of the plate, asked for seconds. That’s the magic right…

That craving for the creamy, golden-topped hashbrown casserole from Cracker Barrel hits hard sometimes. This copycat cracker barrel hashbrown casserole is your answer. It’s the…