Three easy-to-make Thanksgiving side dishes

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and by now you might be getting a little stressed, especially about the sides you've got to whip together.

Aaron Lyons co-owns Dish Society here in Houston. He and his restaurant team say that you don't need a gazillion ingredients to create show-stopping sides. Instead, he's got some recipes with only six ingredients that will make a flavorful statement on your Thanksgiving table.

"You don't need to go to any specialty stores or dirty a lot of dishes. They're all really simple and stuff you can do at home," Lyons continues.

Here are his recipes for Roasted Bacon Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Quinoa Relish. All of the recipes can be started the day before and finished off on Thanksgiving Day.

ROASTED BACON BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Ingredients:

3 lbs. Brussels sprouts, washed

1 lbs. bacon, finely chopped

3/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut Brussels sprouts into halves or quarters, depending on size. Place cut sprouts in a bowl and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat.

Place sprouts on a baking sheet in one even layer. Place pan in oven for 35-55 minutes or until sprouts are tender and brown. Rotate the pan halfway through and turn sprouts over to ensure even cooking and browning.

Place sprouts to the side. They can be chilled and finished the next day or finished after taking out of the oven.

If cooking immediately, place a large-surfaced pan on the stove on high heat. Brown the chopped bacon in the pan. After bacon is browned, add Brussels sprouts and toss to incorporate. Salt and pepper to taste. Add white balsamic vinegar to the hot pan, making sure to toss the sprouts constantly to evenly incorporate ingredients.

Note: Depending on the size of the pan, you may have to cook the Brussels sprouts in batches. If so, split the bacon and vinegar into equal batches for cooking as well.

Place finished sprouts in a festive bowl and serve immediately.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES

Ingredients:

5 lbs. sweet potatoes, washed

lb. butter, cubed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 Tbsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 1.5 hours or until potatoes are soft all the way through. Be sure to check on them periodically.

Allow the potatoes to cool for 30 to 45 minutes. You still want them to be warm, but not too hot to touch. Once the potatoes have cooled, peel and discard the skins.

Add sweet potatoes to a mixing bowl with cubed butter, salt, and heavy whipping cream. Whisk until sweet potatoes are creamy and ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Serve warm.

QUINOA RELISH

Ingredients:

2 lbs. red quinoa

1/5 cup white vinegar

6 cups water

tbsp. salt

2.5 cups pico de gallo (homemade or store-bought)

cup citrus vinaigrette (store-bought)

Directions:

Add water, salt, and vinegar to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the quinoa and reduce to a simmer. Stir often until quinoa is cooked.

Note: You want to cook quinoa low and slow. Do not rush this! It will take at least 30 minutes. You want the quinoa to be cooked through but not mushy. Add water as necessary to finish cooking quinoa. You can always add more but never less.

Place cooked quinoa on a baking sheet and spread evenly. Place pan in fridge to chill. Before serving, take chilled quinoa from the fridge and add to a large mixing bowl. Add pico de gallo, vinaigrette, and salt to taste.

Mix and serve!