North vs. South Thanksgiving sides smackdown: Family recipes

When it comes to the Thanksgiving table, side dishes are anything but an afterthought, sometimes equaling or even eclipsing the turkey. Thanksgiving sides also illustrate the rich communities and cultural influences found throughout the nation. A classic side dish in one region or family, for instance, may very well be unheard of in another. 

To get a taste of Thanksgiving across the US, six Atlanta chefs — three Southern and three hailing from the North and Midwest — shared their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and family food traditions for the holiday. 

For this South versus North side dish smackdown, The Daily Chew founder Julia Kesler Imerman (South) and Bread & Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown (North) talk treasured family recipes.

Read the other Thanksgiving side dish smackdown stories here.

The South: Sweet potato mash

The Daily Chew founder Julia Kesler Imerman 

Julia Kesler Imerman calls her Thanksgiving table “semi-traditional,” with a lighter, fresher spin. Her family has incorporated fresh vegetables into Thanksgiving sides since moving to Atlanta from South Africa when she was three. 

“We have your traditional mac and cheese,” she said. “We also have a sweet potato mash instead of mashed potatoes, or in addition to sourdough stuffing. It’s very simple, but it’s very good.”

Imerman’s family also has a green bean salad, roasted vegetables, and savory cornbread muffins that contain actual pieces of corn. There’s always a lot of wine at the family’s Thanksgiving table, too. 

Growing up, Imerman’s father called the shots in the kitchen. When she was five, her father let her start contributing to Thanksgiving prep — mixing things in bowls and maybe trying to peel vegetables. The family’s meals were, and still are, more global than regional. 

“We’ve been having an alternative to mashed potatoes since I was young,” Imerman said. “My dad always loved using sweet potatoes or other root vegetables for a mash or puree on Thanksgiving.” And it’s a tradition she continues with her own family.

Imerman uses olive oil in the sweet potatoes and incorporates a savory element by folding in sage-infused butter. The result is brighter and not quite as heavy.

One notable exception from Imerman’s family, especially in the South, is pork. She usually offers a different braised meat, such as brisket. Her dad used to prepare lamb. 

As Imerman’s family has grown, her Thanksgiving traditions have shifted. She’s taken over hosting between 40 and 50 people at her home in Midtown. “It’s a big extended family, lots of kids running around, usually a big fire,” she said.

Thanksgiving Day carries even more meaning for Imerman now that she’s a mother. Her oldest child took his first steps during a previous Thanksgiving meal. 

Sweet potato mash with salted sage butter and cinnamon (Serves 4)

Ingredients

For the mash

• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 to 4 Tbsp salted butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk or cream (or warm oat/almond milk)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the salted sage butter

• 4 Tbsp salted butter
• 8 to 10 fresh sage leaves
• Optional: pinch of nutmeg or smoked paprika
• Extra flaky salt, if needed (taste first since using salted butter)

Instructions

Cook the sweet potatoes

1. Add sweet potato chunks to a pot and cover with cold water.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
3. Drain and let sit for 1 minute to release steam.

Make the mash

1. Add salted butter, warm milk/cream, cinnamon, and pepper.
2. Mash until smooth and creamy.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning. Salted butter may mean no extra salt is needed.

Make the salted sage butter

1. Melt the salted butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
2. Add sage leaves and cook until the butter foams and leaves crisp, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Add a small pinch of flaky salt, only if needed.

Assemble

1. Spread the mash into a serving bowl.
2. Spoon the salted sage butter over the top.
3. Garnish with crisp sage leaves and a dusting of cinnamon, if preferred.

The North: Macaroni pie

Bread & Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown (Rhode Island) 

As a child, Bread & Butterfly and Heritage Supper Club chef Demetrius Brown bounced back and forth between his native Rhode Island and Georgia. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Brown made Atlanta his permanent home. 

Brown’s family roots lie in the South and the Caribbean, particularly in Trinidad. At family gatherings, the table typically features an eclectic mix of dishes representing the depth and breadth of the African diaspora. Thanksgiving is no exception. 

Rather than a traditional Thanksgiving feast, the family cooks dishes from a chosen country each year. But three dishes are always on the Thanksgiving table: stuffing (his brother’s favorite), his maternal great grandmother’s spice cake, and his fraternal great grandmother’s macaroni pie. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the savory Trinidadian pasta bake blended with sharp cheddar cheese, milk, eggs, and pimento peppers, with bucatini replacing macaroni. 

“My mom and my grandmother do a really amazing job making macaroni pie. You can put anything on it,” Brown said of the zesty Caribbean riff on mac and cheese. “At my grandmother’s house, we would eat it with red beans and rice. I’ll just mix mine with some gravy at Thanksgiving.”

Brown makes macaroni pie with béchamel sauce, adding cheese, caramelized onions, paprika, onion, and garlic powder to give it a big flavor boost. 

Macaroni pie recipe (Serves 6 to 8)

Ingredients

• 1 package of bucatini noodles
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 cans of evaporated milk
• 2 lb block of extra sharp white cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to instructions (8-12min)
2. Shred cheese
3. Bring milk and butter to a simmer and slowly add 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a baking pan, combine noodles and cheese. Slowly mix in eggs
5. Add remaining cheese to the top and bake at 375 until golden brown or approximately 25 to 35 minutes.