Tara Mataraza Desmond

A collection of 130 side dish recipes to complement to any entrée, whether it’s for a holiday meal, a potluck, or just another weeknight.

Choosing Sides, a cookbook devoted entirely to side dishes, honors the standards and offers fresh ideas for new favorites. It capitalizes on our obsession with accessorizing meals using quality ingredients in inspired, varied, and memorable recipes. Every recipe offers multiple entrée suggestions and helps cooks design an entire meal. Instead of tagging bland afterthoughts on your plate at the last minute, you can create exciting combinations.

The chapters offer a range of recipes for broad appeal, crossing cuisines, techniques, and complexity. You’ll find recipes for breakfast, intimate gatherings, picnics, holidays, and more. Coconut Cilantro Toasted Israeli Couscous, Pumpkin Cozy Rolls, Honey Balsamic Peaches and Burrata, and Sesame Braised Bok Choy are just a few. A helpful chart, organized by main entrée, gives you a quick look at what to serve with chicken, beef, fish, and the like. Choosing Sides is a singular source for answering the mealtime question, “What should I serve with this?”

Praise for Choosing Sides

“An inspired and creative cookbook dedicated entirely to side dishes. Accessorizing the main element of the meal, whether for a weeknight dinner, family get-together, or holiday feast, needs to be artful, nourishing, and practical. Choosing Sides brings excitement to every meal with these innovative and contemporary side dishes.” —Diane Morgan, author of Roots: The Definitive Compendium

“This is an extraordinary collection, able to turn anyone who can roast a chicken or grill a lamb chop into a top chef. Nobody needs another recipe for meatloaf, but accompany your old standby with the likes of Smoked Gouda Grits and Red Grape and Bacon Salad (easy to throw together while the meatloaf is in the oven), and I guarantee your best friend’s other best friends will cringe with jealousy.” —Andrew Schloss, author of Art of the Slow Cooker and Cooking Slow: Recipes for Slowing Down and Cooking More

“Oh, to be an entrée surrounded by [Desmond’s] flavorful, colorful, vibrant sides! In Choosing Sides, Tara offers a modern spin on the humble, oft-neglected accompaniment. Her Chorizo Chard; Blood Orange Wild Rice; and Persimmon, Pomegranate, and Pistachio Salad are but three examples for how to turn supporting players into shining culinary stars. Tara can fill my plate any day.” —Cheryl Sternman Rule, author of Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables