What side dish to choose for meat in French

Do you understand that the unique recipe for “Orlov style veal” did not include potatoes, and the dish itself was served without any additions at all. Nowadays, traditional French meat is always accompanied by a side dish, but we will discuss what exactly can be served along with this indescribably tasty treat in this article.

It is worth seeing that meat is a product that mixes amazingly with vegetables, pasta, and grains, so there will be plenty to choose from as a worthy side dish.

Potato side dish for meat in French

Potatoes are the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about what side dish to serve for lunch or dinner. And here it is not so important how exactly we decide to prepare this vegetable, because in any form it goes identically to any dish, be it meat, fish or salad.

You can create such a unique side dish at home in a matter of minutes, especially if you have a simple recipe like ours on hand.

How to create a potato side dish for “Orlov style veal”

We take three large potatoes, wash them well and peel them.
Then we make cuts across each root vegetable (every 5 mm) so that an accordion comes out. You should cut a little deeper into the middle, but not all the way.
Now add a little salt to any root vegetable, pepper and coat the top with vegetable oil with a brush.
Prepare the filling: mix crushed garlic (3 cloves) with soft butter (130 g) and dried dill (3 tbsp).
Cut hard cheese (250 g) into small thin slices (2-3 mm).
Now we need to stuff the potatoes. Carefully, alternately, place the cheese filling and the garlic-butter mixture into any cut. We perform this function with all the potatoes.
After this, put the accordion potatoes into the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment for 45 minutes, where they will be baked at a temperature of 190 o C.

Mashed potatoes decorated in the form of a medallion, pyramid or tower, using culinary rings of various shapes, will look very original as a side dish for meat in French. But a more exciting option for serving crushed potatoes is in the form of roses, described in our subsequent step-by-step recipe.

Mashed potatoes with cheese

And if you prefer to serve mashed potatoes, then this recipe will be a valuable asset to you.

How to create a potato side dish for meat in French

Peel 1 kg of potatoes, boil them until tender in salted water, and then mash them into a puree.
Add to the potato mixture 1 egg yolk, 80 g grated cheese, 1/6 tsp. ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
Mix everything well, and while the mashed potatoes are still warm, load them into a pastry bag. Using a special attachment, squeeze the potato roses onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, then grease them with yolk.
Next, place the tray in the oven and bake the potato side dish at 200°C for 20 minutes until golden brown.

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Express side dish for baked meat in French

Frozen vegetables and textures, for example, Hawaiian or Mexican, are very time-saving. This is, in essence, a ready-made side dish; you just need to boil the contents of the package in salted water for 15 minutes, and, if desired, coat it with spices, butter or any sauce (to taste).

This is the quickest and most common recipe for making a side dish for meat in French.

Green beans with pine nuts

Boil frozen green beans (1 pack) in salted water for 10 minutes until tender.
In a hot frying pan, greased with oil, fry finely chopped garlic (2 cloves) for 1 minute, and then add 5 tbsp. pine nut kernels and heat them for 3 minutes.
Next, mix the garlic nuts with the beans and serve as a side dish.

Hawaiian mushroom mixture

Fry 300 g of new champignons, cut into thin slices, until golden brown in vegetable oil over high heat.
Afterwards, pour a package of frozen Hawaiian consistency into the frying pan, pour in ½ cup of water, add ½-1 tsp. salt, reduce the flame to medium and cook the side dish under the lid for 15 minutes.

Cauliflower in batter

Boil the frozen cauliflower (1 package) in bubbling salted water for 10 minutes, and then put it in a sieve.
At this time, prepare the batter: beat 2-3 eggs with a pinch of salt and dark pepper until foamy, and then add 1.5 tbsp. flour and 2 tbsp. grated (on a small grater) hard cheese (80 g).

Add a little vegetable oil to a heated frying pan. Once it has warmed up perfectly, dip the cabbage florets in the batter and fry them until golden brown, then place them on a paper napkin to remove excess fat.

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Pasta side dishes

Nowadays, the selection of pasta in stores is simply amazing in its diversity, for which special thanks to the Italians. Spaghetti, fettuccine, tagliatelle, fusilli, rigatoni and countless other types of pasta, which cooks in 10-20 minutes, will be a good side dish for meat in French.

Or maybe you should cook dinner in the Italian-French style, and cook spaghetti with pesto as a side dish? A very interesting idea, we suggest you try it out.

Spaghetti with pesto sauce

Boil spaghetti (½ package) until tender in boiling water with the addition of 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1.5 tsp. salt, after which we throw the product onto a sieve.

Prepare the sauce: place 100 g of fresh basil, 1/3 tbsp into a blender bowl. olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, salt, pepper to taste and 2 tbsp. walnut kernels. Whisk all ingredients until smooth and the sauce is ready.
This side dish should be served like this. Place a nest-shaped portion of spaghetti on a plate, pour pesto sauce (2-4 tbsp) over it, sprinkle with 1 tbsp. grated parmesan and 1 tsp. chopped nuts.

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A difficult side dish for meat in French

What is a difficult side dish? No, this is not a fancy dish that you need to pore over for several hours, but a side dish consisting of several ordinary ones. In other words, on one plate for the main meal, two or more types of side dishes are also offered, for example, mashed potatoes and half a portion of stewed cabbage.

Usually, fresh vegetables or green salads are used for a complex side dish. A striking example of a complex side dish is the Goat in the Garden salad, the recipe for which you can find on our website.

Composing a complex side dish is not at all difficult. The main thing is to harmoniously and perfectly arrange all the components of the dish on a portioned plate, for example, carefully place any element of the side dish (separately) on lettuce leaves.

Here are some good options for such an additional component dish for meat in French:

Half a portion of mashed potatoes, cucumber and tomato tenderloin, a small pile of sauerkraut and 2 tbsp. greenish peas.
French fries, boiled greenish asparagus and Korean carrots.
Olives, sweet pepper strips of various colors, a bowl of rice sprinkled with curry, 2 tbsp. corn.
Green beans stewed with onions and sprinkled with sesame seeds, fresh tomato roses, fresh cucumber carving, olives, potato balls.

Our website contains educational master classes on excellent cutting of vegetables and carving, which will help you make fabulously beautiful complex side dishes for meat in French.

Calla lilies from the freshest cucumber
Carrot flower: cut out a rose
Fennel calla
Cucumber lily
Radish flowers
Pepper flowers
Potato rose
Cucumber chain
Tenderloin of cucumbers and tomatoes
DIY vegetable decorations

Using our recipes and tips, every time you can prepare your favorite meat snack in different ways and, thus, constantly change its usual taste to an unrecognizably original one. Just by changing the side dish for the meat, you can transform the familiar “Veau Orloff” into a completely new, but no less tasty and appetizing dish, which any housewife can create in her own kitchen.

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What side dish to serve with meat in French?

Finding the right side dish for meat in French is not the most common task. How to highlight the taste of the main dish without overloading it? Check out our variations!

Light salad of new vegetables

What side dish should you serve meat with in French if the main dish includes potatoes? We think a vegetable salad would be the best addition.

one fresh cucumber;
two tomatoes;
6 radishes;
half a small fork of kohlrabi;
two boiled eggs;
two teaspoons of mustard;
three tablespoons of olive oil;
a teaspoon of coffee sugar;
vinegar and salt to taste.

So, let's prepare a side dish for meat in French. You will find photos and a detailed recipe below.

Rinse the vegetables well and chop them. Cut the cucumber lengthwise and then cut it into very thin slices (use a special knife for this purpose). Cut the radishes into rings and the tomatoes into small pieces. Grate the kohlrabi or chop it into strips. Chop the egg whites with a knife.

Prepare a sauce from mustard, boiled yolks, sugar and olive oil. At the very end, add vinegar and mash the food with a fork.

Stir the cooked vegetables, add salt and place on plates. Garnish the salad with sauce and serve.

What side dish goes with meat in French?

Another good option is a warm salad of vegetables and cheese. In appearance, this dish resembles a stew and has a rich taste.

eggplant;
two sweet peppers;
a quarter of a small onion;
two tablespoons of suluguni;
white wine vinegar, salt and oil - to taste.

How to prepare a side dish for meat in French?

To do this, first process the vegetables, peel the eggplant and onion, and remove the core from the pepper. After this, cut the products into strips and fry separately.

Combine the prepared ingredients, salt them, add oil and vinegar to taste. Sprinkle the salad with grated cheese and serve it with the meat.

French side dish for meat: recipe for mashed potatoes with cheese

If the main dish consists of meat, cheese, vegetables and sauce, then it can be supplemented with a hearty side dish.

potatoes - one kilogram;
egg yolk;
grated cheese – 100 grams;
nutmeg - one pinch;
salt and ground pepper.

A potato side dish for meat in French is prepared as follows:

First, peel the potatoes, and then boil them until tender (do not forget to add a little salt to the water). After this, crush it into puree, mix with the yolk, spices, cheese and salt.
Place the warm garnish into a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Place the puree on the parchment, giving it the shape of a rose.

Bake the potatoes for about 20 minutes in a perfectly preheated oven. When the puree is covered with a beautiful golden brown crust, it can be placed on plates with the meat.

Salad with olives and cheese

Which side dish for French meat is better to choose if you like a distinctive, distinctive taste? We offer you our own option:

iceberg lettuce – 150 grams;
fresh cucumber, bell pepper and tomato – 50 grams each;
garlic powder, salt, white pepper - half a teaspoon each;
ginger – 20 grams;
olive oil – one tablespoon;
chopped greens - half a bunch;
feta cheese or any other soft cheese – 50 grams;
olives – 6 pieces;
lemon juice - one tablespoon.

It is very simple to prepare a light side dish for meat in French.

Tear the lettuce leaves into small pieces, and cut the cucumber and sweet pepper into narrow strips. Cut the tomato into half rings. Mix the products in a salad bowl, add salt, garlic and herbs.

Prepare a dressing with oil, lemon juice, ginger and white pepper. Pour the sauce over the salad and stir. Add olive rings and small diced cheese to the vegetables. Before serving, let the salad sit in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

A difficult side dish

By this phrase we do not at all mean a difficult-to-make dish that you will have to pore over for a long time. On the contrary, this side dish is prepared simply and quickly - see for yourself:

Place half a portion of mashed potatoes, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, and two tablespoons of canned green peas on plates with meat.
Another regular option can be made from Korean carrots, boiled beans and fried potatoes.
Don't forget that a side dish can also serve as decoration. Therefore, serve with meat roses from tomatoes, potato balls and curly tenderloin from the freshest cucumber.
Grilled vegetables - eggplant, sweet peppers of various colors, tomatoes, potatoes, onions.

If you understand our idea, then you can easily, without the help of others, create several more options that will completely complement the main dish.

Stewed vegetables in oriental style

A side dish for meat in French does not necessarily have to comply with the serious rules of European cuisine. Take advantage of the simple thought given to us and evaluate it in practice.

large eggplant;
reddish, yellowish and greenish peppers - one piece each;
onion;
soy sauce - two tablespoons;
a little salt;
sesame;
vegetable oil.

Peel the eggplant and later cut into cubes. Wash the peppers, remove seeds and stalks, cut the flesh into medium-sized pieces. Remove the skin from the onion and then finely chop it.

Heat a frying pan and fry the eggplant until half cooked. Add pepper and onion to it. Stir the ingredients, cover them with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour soy sauce into the vegetables and sprinkle them with sesame seeds. Salt the dish to taste and stir. A side dish for meat in French can be served either warm or cool.

Potato and Korean carrot salad

Here is a recipe for another extraordinary side dish that goes perfectly with baked meat. It will accompany the main course not only during a home dinner, but will also look great on a formal table.

boiled potatoes (in their jackets) – 500 grams;
Korean carrots – 250 grams;
canned green peas - seven tablespoons;
fresh dill - half a bunch;
garlic - two large cloves;
salt - half a teaspoon;
vegetable oil - three tablespoons.

To begin, wash the potatoes well and boil until tender. To make the skin easier to remove, immediately place the tubers in cool water. Next, the potatoes need to be peeled, cut into cubes, combined with carrots and peas.

Prepare the dressing. To do this, mix chopped dill, finely chopped garlic, salt and vegetable oil. All you have to do is mix the sauce with the vegetables and transfer the finished salad to a dish.

As you can see, side dishes for meat can be prepared from a wide variety of products. Read our recipes and choose any dish to suit your own taste.

Garnish

Crispy side dish rice “Rice for rice”

I bring to your attention an extraordinary method with which you can quickly and easily prepare fluffy snow-white rice of any kind, specifically “rice to grain”. Just three minutes of active boiling, salt, butter, and then your pan will do everything itself. All you have to do is serve this excellent side dish to the table, any grain of rice of which is enveloped in oil and shimmers like a pearl. It's quite tasty. Our family has been preparing rice using this recipe for many years. Try it too.

Cabbage on the side

One of our family's favorite side dishes. Savory, warm and fragrant cabbage comes out. Well, there’s little hassle. In general, I can’t help but share!

Cool side dish of pearl barley

Usually, great importance is not attached to the side dish - it is prepared faster and more ordinary. so as not to bother. I suggest slightly varying your own diet and preparing a wonderfully tasty and necessary side dish. Dedicated to everyone who cares about their health and figure.

Stuffed cauliflower with vegetable garnish

The cauliflower had been lying around for a week now and just couldn’t wait until it was ready. And finally she found a place on our table and in our stomach))) Cauliflower is a very tasty side dish for any meat and fish dishes, and if you add a little imagination, it will not only be very tasty, but will also amuse the eye on the table . Cabbage baked with meat, and as a side dish - vegetables with mushrooms in sour cream.

Side dish “Tomato rice with cheese”

I would like to bring to your attention a very tasty, ordinary-to-make, but at the same time very unusual side dish! Besides everything else, it has a beautiful appearance! I invite you!

Fried rice on the side

The rice comes out crumbly, one to one. It comes out all the time! If you want fragrant rice with oriental notes, add spices (I’ll write which ones in the recipe). This time I cooked without adding spices, because this side dish was served with chicken curry, and it is already spicy in itself. Recipe source: Aunt Masha (Miriam) from the culinary club.

Potato side dish “Pears”

One of the options for a side dish made from potatoes))).. Easy to make.. and will greatly decorate your dish.. well, the table)). And again, I think about the kids. they will really like potatoes in this form)))

Royal trout with garnish

A tasty and tender dish for the weekend! A side dish of snow-white rice and champignons, stewed in cream, is covered with a tender blanket of trout! Real jam!

Ceremonial potato side dish

I offer you a fascinating, tasty, very beautiful and ordinary potato side dish. To go with salad, chicken and any of your favorite dishes! Watch and try for your health, dear cooks.

His Majesty's side dish

Hello! I would like to dedicate the first day of Starry Week to side dishes. I bring to your attention various options, which are an integral part of a real dinner. Choose according to your own taste!

Garnish . A side dish is an addition to a wide variety of main dishes. Well-chosen side dishes help to significantly improve not only the taste, but also the nutritional characteristics of the finished dishes. That is why almost all chefs rightly believe that side dishes in cooking are assigned the same fundamental role as various main courses.

Most often, the side dish is served with independent vegetable dishes, as well as with meat or fish dishes. There is a great variety of different side dishes in the world, but the most popular side dishes are considered to be various cereals, mushrooms, various pastas, and cereals or vegetables (vegetable mixtures, also mashed potatoes, almost all legumes, etc.). In addition, fruits, bread and some baked goods, sausage or meat products, broths and even sauces (for example, for seafood, which is generally considered a self-sufficient dish) can often serve as side dishes. There are also complex side dishes that are prepared from several types of goods.

In order for the side dish not to disturb the overall memory of the meal, it is important to approach the selection of suitable ingredients with special care - it is better to immediately avoid side dishes whose ingredients do not mix with the main dishes.

There are also universally suitable side dishes in cooking - they are perfectly mixed with the vast majority of main dishes. These include boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, mushrooms, various legumes and vegetables. All these side dishes will be a good addition to both fish and meat dishes. A side dish of rice is perfect for seafood or fish dishes.

In general, you can safely serve side dishes of cereals, spaghetti, legumes and vegetables with meat, and green peas, as well as potato, carrot or rice side dishes with fish.

It’s interesting that in some countries the smallest part of a dish is considered a side dish: for example, rice will be considered the main dish in the most delicious Azerbaijani pilaf, but meat and fruits in this case act as a side dish. Such awareness contradicts the accepted one, but it also has a right to exist.

You can serve the side dish either on a common plate with the main dish or on a separate dish. The second method will be more desirable when serving a formal table, because it gives any guest the opportunity to take the required amount of side dish without the help of others.

Side dishes

The role of a side dish for meat, and for any dish, is very important. A side dish increases the nutritional value of the dish. Makes the dish appetizing and increases the digestibility of food. In general, there are side dishes made from cereals, potatoes and vegetables. We will highlight potatoes separately, because this is a large field for discussion.

Side dishes for meat from cereals

The most popular side dishes from cereals are jasmine rice and buckwheat with mushrooms. Also excellent for meat are cereals such as quinoa, couscous, and pearl barley.

Buckwheat with mushrooms
(for 2-3 servings)

Boil 150 g of buckwheat.
In a hot frying pan, fry onions (30 g), finely chopped champignons (100 g) and oyster mushrooms (50 g). Next, place the boiled buckwheat in the frying pan, pepper and add 4 tablespoons of soy sauce instead of salt. Stir and you can serve.

Potato side dishes

The options for making a side dish from potatoes are varied: you can make potato croquettes or pancakes, create mashed potatoes, prepare stewed potatoes, or simply boil or fry them.

Baby potatoes with fragrant herbs
(for 2-3 servings)

Rinse 600 g baby potatoes well, but do not peel them.
Place in an even layer in a baking dish. Tear 15 g of rosemary, 5 g of thyme with your hands and crush 4 cloves of unpeeled garlic.
pour generously with vegetable oil.
Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. After baking, lightly press the potatoes with your hand so that the skin bursts. Salt and pepper.

Vegetable Side Dishes

The most common vegetables served as a side dish for meat are beets, green peas, carrots and zucchini.
Also, don’t forget about pumpkin, eggplant, cauliflower and broccoli.
Naturally, a combination of various vegetables goes well with meat as a side dish. The main example of this combination is the dish “Ratatouille”.

Vegetable ratatouille
(serves 2-3)

All ingredients in equal proportions (50 g each): zucchini, carrots, eggplant, yellowish, reddish and greenish bell peppers, Yalta onion, cut into large cubes 1x1 cm, fry alternately in a hot frying pan. Then mix everything in a deep bowl and season with salt, pepper, and finely chopped garlic. When serving, garnish with basil flowers and pine nuts.

Sauces

The word sauce comes from the Latin salsus - “salted”.
The second variant of origin is from the French sauce - gravy. Sauces change the thickness, taste and increase the nutritional value of the dish.
Sometimes it's the sauce that makes the food savory. Let's look at the best, in my opinion, sauces for meat.

Chimichurri sauce

We will need:
- Fresh cilantro 1 bunch
- Fresh parsley 1 bunch
- Garlic 5-6 cloves
- Vinegar 9% 100 ml
- Vegetable oil 120 ml
- Salt and pepper.

Chop the green leaves and garlic very finely with a knife, add vinegar and spices, and then add vegetable oil in a narrow stream, stirring constantly with a whisk. The sauce is ready.

Any sauce consists of a watery base and an additional part, which includes various products, spices and seasonings. A sauce prepared on a certain watery base and containing a small amount of ingredients in the additional part is called the main one. Sauces prepared on the basis of the main one with the addition of various goods are called derivatives.

Wine sauce

We will need:
- 250 ml beef broth
- 125 ml reddish wine
- 2 tsp.
coffee sugar - 1 tsp.
balsamic vinegar - Salt and pepper to taste

Pour the broth into the pan and reduce it by half. Add wine, sugar and balsamic vinegar, cook for about 10 minutes over low heat until the amount of water is reduced by half. Season the finished sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Sweet and sour cranberry sauce will help to reveal the taste of the meat dish.
I will say more - cranberry has a bunch of necessary parameters, so cranberry sauce can even be used for healing purposes.

Cranberry sauce

We will need:
- Fresh or frozen cranberries 150 g
- Sugar 55 g
- Small set for mulled wine (cinnamon, cloves, star anise, nutmeg)
- One lemon and orange.

In a saucepan over low heat, boil the cranberries with sugar in a small amount of water.
When the berries begin to explode, remove from heat. Remove the zest from the citrus fruits and squeeze out the juice.
Add zest, a set of spices, lemon and orange juice to the cranberries. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Sauces are distinguished by mixture.
Watery (mixtures of watery sour cream) - for pouring over and stewing dishes;
Medium thickness (a mixture of thick sour cream) - for baking, adding to vegetable dishes and decorating main dishes.
Thick (mixtures of viscous semolina porridge) - most often for stuffing.

Creamy mushroom sauce

We will need:
- 70 g of new champignons
- 30 g of boiled white mushrooms
- 150 ml of cream 22%
- a little nutmeg
- 1 tbsp.
l. flour - 1 tbsp.
l. butter - Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the mushrooms into small pieces and fry. Fry the flour and butter separately until it smells like shortbread. Pour cream over mushrooms, add fried flour. Over low heat, evaporate the mixture by 1/3. Finally, season the sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

I also consider “Pepe Verde” to be one of the best sauces for meat; its recipe is already on our website.
I definitely recommend checking it out. I can’t help but tell you about the fragrant butter with herbs.
Butter with garlic and herbs is truly an excellent thing. It takes two minutes to prepare, and when served with the freshest bread, it’s swept off the table in about the same amount of time—but that’s not the end of its scope. If you, for example, fry a steak or fish, you can do without sauce - just put a “puck” of butter with herbs on top and enjoy.

Spicy oil

We will need:
- 150 g of butter
- a small bunch of dill or parsley (I prefer dill, but most often this butter is prepared with parsley)
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt and pepper.

Remove the butter from the refrigerator.
Leave it for an hour at room temperature. Chop the garlic and parsley very finely and place in a bowl. Add oil to them and mix everything well. Place the butter on a sheet of parchment or cling film, roll it into a sausage and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Before serving the steak, cut off a small piece from the oil and place it on top of the roast meat.

If you'd like to find out more about sauces, come see me for my newest masterclass, Sauces, on March 10th.