3 Long Island restaurant sides you can make at home for Thanksgiving

Many restaurants close on Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring restaurant-quality food to your holiday table. Newsday asked three chefs to share recipes for side dishes often enjoyed while dining at their establishments. Each dish has sophisticated flavors but is simple to execute.

Sweet Kettle Corn from Blackstone Steakhouse, Melville

This is a very simple recipe, notes Blackstone Executive Chef Colin McKaharay, but success is in the details. Be sure to use an oil with a high smoking point (not olive oil), he advises. If you’re not comfortable flipping and tossing the corn by shaking the pan, use a spoon or heat-resistant spatula instead. This recipe calls for "popcorn salt" which can be found online or at some markets, but feel free to use regular kosher salt along with a bit more butter at the end. You can double the recipe for a larger crowd, but if you will have to cook the corn in batches for proper browning.

Ingredients

5 ears fresh corn, still in husks

1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or more to taste

Popcorn salt or kosher salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place corn on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until it can be handled, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove husks and shave the corn kernels off the cobs.

2. Heat a heavy saute pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. (If your stove is gas and has an open flame, remove pan from flame right before adding oil to prevent oil from catching fire.)

3. Immediately add enough corn to cover bottom of pan by about ½-inch or 2/3-inch and give it a quick toss. Put pan back on fire, add a tablespoon of butter and a good 3-finger pinch of popcorn salt or kosher salt. Continue to toss/ flip until corn turns a nice brown and is almost black around the edges. If corn is darkening too quickly, lower heat, continue to toss, and add a bit more cold butter to cool it down a bit. Scrape into a serving bowl, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Delicata Squash with Honey Ricotta and Walnut XO Sauce from Shands General, Patchogue

This recipe is lovely for Thanksgiving and can be adapted throughout the fall and winter using other available squashes as well as beets, parsnips, and turnips, says Shands chef Francis Derby. The sauce, too, is versatile: "XO is one of my favorite things to riff on. This walnut XO recipe is a take on classic XO but with walnuts and flaxseed in place of the usual shrimp and ham. We do versions of this Sauce with hazelnuts, prosciutto, bacon, chicken skin (my personal fave) and whatever else we come across. It’s shelf stable and lasts a while so this can be made days ahead and used for all sorts of things like pastas, fish, meat, eggs. It’s a great sauce to have in the pocket or pantry."

Delicata Squash with Honey Ricotta

3 medium delicata squash

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese

2 tablespoon honey, preferable local

Zest from 1 lemon

Walnut Chai XO sauce (see below)

Maldon flaky sea salt or Fleur de sel

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Slice squash into ½-inch rings, removing seeds from centers and discarding. In a large bowl, toss rings with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheet and roast until slightly browned and softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. While squash is roasting, combine ricotta, honey, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.

4. To serve, arrange squash on a serving platter, top with dollops of ricotta, and drizzle with XO sauce. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt. Makes 8 to 10 servings

Walnut Chai XO Sauce

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup walnut pieces, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons flaxseed

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon chai spice

In a medium pot, heat olive oil and walnuts together over medium heat, until walnuts begin to toast and smell fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Slowly stir in flaxseed, shallot, garlic, and ginger and cook until shallot is golden brown, another few minutes. Remove from heat, stir in salt and chai spice, and transfer to a bowl or other container to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before using.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts from Tellers: An American Chophouse, Islip

Chef Thomas Haferkamp’s earthy, crispy Brussels sprouts are enhanced by crunchy almonds, sweet and tangy chili sauce, and a shower of Parmesan shavings for rich, salty bite. Even the most skeptical Brussels sprouts eaters, he says, will be won over by this beautifully balanced dish full of contrasts. For a larger crowd you can double the recipe, frying the Brussels sprouts in two batches. A bonus: You’ll have some leftover chili sauce to use after the holiday.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for frying

8 ounces Brussels sprouts, halved

3 tablespoons almonds, toasted and chopped

3 ½ tablespoons Chili Garlic Glaze (see below)

1/3 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Line a plate with paper towels. Fill a large pot with a few inches of vegetable oil. Fit with a thermometer and heat oil to 400ºF. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to drain.

2. Transfer the drained sprouts to a bowl and toss with the almonds and glaze. Shower with the Parmesan shavings and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings

Chili Garlic Glaze

Sambal oelek, and Indonesian chili sauce, is available near other Asian ingredients in most supermarkets.

2/3 cup garlic oil

6 tablespoons hoisin sauce

5 ½ tablespoons sambal oelek chili sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Combine garlic oil, hoisin, sambal oelek, honey and soy sauce in a bowl or jar with a lid and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.