25 Christmas Side Dishes for Dinner: Gratins, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables and More

The real gratin dauphinois, with no cheese: potato slices pre-cooked in milk and cream, then baked until golden on top. Don’t rinse them, the starch is what binds the sauce. The classic Christmas dinner side.

Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts glazed with honey and covered in chopped peanuts. Two pans, a single layer, cut side down: that’s the secret to the crunch. A sweet and salty side that wins over the skeptics!

A silky mashed potato made with garlic and herb cheese, butter and cream. Taste before you salt, the cheese already seasons it well. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of flaky salt.

Oven-glazed maple carrots with a butter, maple and brown sugar glaze. No pan to babysit, just a baking sheet and the oven. Salt generously, or it all turns too sweet by the third bite.

A cauliflower gratin with bacon and raclette, a cheesy béchamel and a crunchy breadcrumb top. The florets are drained well, so there’s no water pooling at the bottom of the dish. Pure indulgence.

A mix of mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter with fresh parsley and thyme. Let them brown without stirring too much: they release their juices and bubble, and that’s normal. Great with steak, pasta or on their own as a side.

Baby potatoes boiled, smashed with the bottom of a glass, then roasted until perfectly crisp. Italian seasoning and garlic powder. My whole family loves them, and they’re the first dish to disappear!

Roasted butternut squash with bacon, orange juice and lemon zest, topped with crumbled goat cheese and pumpkin seeds. Sweet, salty, crunchy. A colorful dish for the holiday table that looks as good as it tastes.

An aligot that really stretches, made with mozzarella and gruyère, yellow potatoes, cream and garlic. Take the cheese out of the fridge ahead of time or it seizes instead of melting. A mash that makes long cheesy strings!

Green beans sautéed in butter with a splash of white wine and lemon zest. Quick, fresh and elegant. They should stay bright green and slightly crisp, so don’t overcook them. Dry white wine only, nothing sweet.

Sweet potato slices roasted until the underside is deeply golden, then drizzled with a maple sauce. The perfect sidekick for your mains. Leave some room between the slices on the baking sheet!

Leek whites wrapped in ham, covered in cheesy béchamel and baked until golden. The leeks cook briefly in boiling water first, then go in the oven. A side dish that makes an impression on the table.

A purée of squash and sweet potato with butter, garlic, parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg. The squash roasts in the oven first to concentrate the flavor. Bright orange, sweet and creamy.

Brussels sprouts wrapped in smoked bacon, secured with a toothpick and brushed with maple syrup. They bake slowly until the bacon is crispy. You eat them with your fingers, like salty candy!

Cheese brioche buns, ultra soft, with cubes of cheddar in the dough and shredded cheese on top for a golden crust. The milk should be warm, not hot, so it doesn’t kill the yeast. Perfect next to a big holiday meal.

Creamy potatoes cooked in a foil packet with leeks, gruyère, garlic and cream. It cooks on the grill, which frees up your oven for the rest of the meal. A potato gratin with no baking dish to wash!

Roasted cauliflower with parmesan, crispy and golden, with smoked paprika and thyme. The cheese goes on in two stages: some at the start, the rest at the end for a melty crust. Oven or air fryer.

A squash gratin with several kinds of roasted squash, shallots, sage and cream. The squash is partly cooked first so it stays firm. A fall gratin that belongs on the Christmas table.

Baked potatoes sliced accordion-style, loaded with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar and gruyère. A trick: place a wooden spoon handle on each side so you don’t slice too deep. Decadent!

Nantes carrots roasted with garlic and maple, cooked through but still slightly crisp. An easy side that adds color to the plate. Toss them halfway through the cooking, and that’s it.

A cauliflower, broccoli and seafood gratin in a creamy béchamel under melted cheese. My little secret: frozen seafood, just as fresh. A side dish that flirts with being the main course.

Potato skins baked with grilled chorizo, cheddar, parmesan and a semi-firm cheese. Save the potato flesh for a mash or soup. A crowd-pleasing side with a smoky kick that works for the whole table!

A beer tartiflette with potatoes, pancetta, leeks, onion and melting cheese on top. Blanch the potatoes for just a few minutes. Less traditional for Christmas, but it bubbles and oozes just the way it should!

Baby potatoes roasted with whole unpeeled garlic cloves and fresh thyme. Crisp outside, tender inside. The confit garlic perfumes the whole pan, and you can squeeze the cloves onto bread.

Homemade demi-glace, made from beef soup bones, chicken wings and well-caramelized vegetables, then gently reduced. It turns a roast or a bird into a restaurant-quality meal, and it’s the only sauce in this collection.