# Please help me choose my free winter side dish at the deli.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 1, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053 "2012-08-01T13:33:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/1 "2012-08-01T13:33:02Z")
At our deli, we offer a scoop of potato salad with every sandwich, but I need something different for the fall/winter.
I like the idea of roasted root veggies or maybe some baked beans. My husband is leaning towards some of my chili.
Of course, we’ll have a soup everyday anyway, so maybe that? Or maybe something else altogether?
What do you guys think?
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/2 "2012-08-01T13:39:16Z")
I personally like something starchy with my sandwich. What about some kind of curried potato dish for something a little “warmer” tasting for winter?
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### Author:  [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/3 "2012-08-01T14:04:27Z")
For the winter, something warm like Mac n’ cheese or macaroni in marinara sauce.
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### Author:  [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/4 "2012-08-01T14:44:04Z")
Do you know how to make a good Brunswick Stew?
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### Author:  [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/5 "2012-08-01T14:46:00Z")
Hot German potato salad, with bacon?
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### Author:  [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/6 "2012-08-01T14:48:30Z")
Curry potato sound awesome, **Johnny Bravo**! I like how you think!
Maybe throw in some extra root veggies since it’s the fall.
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### Author:  [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/7 "2012-08-01T14:50:09Z")
Mashed potatoes with fried onions.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/8 "2012-08-01T15:01:06Z")
I think the MacNCheese is a good idea. Easy to make and keep. Hot and rib sticking. A small scoop will be an enticement to buy more. Mashed potatoes are a good second. Please use real potatoes, even the pre-made buckets of the stuff. Maybe it’s just me, but I can tell right away when mashed potatoes are nothing but instant with one real potato with skin is tossed in. I’d shy away from anything that includes seasonings individuals don’t like such as onions, garlic, curry, chili, etc. That will just get lots of requests to substitute something else. All this depends on your particular audience though.
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### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/9 "2012-08-01T15:17:09Z")
I think roasted root vegetables are perfect. But there are people who have problems with ‘strange’ foods like rutabagas, turnips, and parsnips. Mac and cheese would be a great alternative for those folks, and a fine accompaniment for the rest of us.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/10 "2012-08-02T00:41:43Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#):
>
> Do you know how to make a good Brunswick Stew?
No, do you have a good recipe?
My cousin was supposed to share hers with me, but I think she forgot.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/11 "2012-08-02T00:49:22Z")
I like the sound of mac and cheese. Yeah, that might be the ticket.
Thanks you guys.
On a side note, I had my first health inspection today. The inspector said he wished every kitchen was as clean as ours is. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/12 "2012-08-02T04:17:45Z")
Welp. Time to go make some curried potatoes.
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### Author:  [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/13 "2012-08-02T04:19:22Z")
Roasted root vegetables sounds good to me.
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### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/14 "2012-08-02T10:13:15Z")
Mac’n’cheese or baked beans or root vegetables ALL sound good. Maybe you should rotate them and see what’s popular? And what increases the sales?
I’d be just as happy with a scoop of potato salad in the winter as in the summer, though. Baked beans would be great, too. I don’t cook beans very much at home, because there’s just the two of us, but I do like beans.
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### Author:  [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/15 "2012-08-02T11:07:46Z")
You want a warming rib-sticker? Stewed macaroni. It’s a Swedish recipe; the macaroni is stewed in whole milk after boiling. Made the mistake of trying that recipe out last summer - it was delicious but _boy_ was it the wrong meal for a warm sunny day. I think I also used milk that hadn’t had the cream separated out as a substitute, which made it even thicker.
By itself it’s not particularly flavorful, however, so you could add some sort of herbs or spices to it to give it the right kick for winter.
Let me know if you’re interested. I’ll post the recipe here.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/16 "2012-08-02T12:30:39Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#):
>
> I’d be just as happy with a scoop of potato salad in the winter as in the summer, though.
Same here. To be honest, when I want a sandwich, I just want a sandwich. A bit of potato salad or coleslaw on the side is nice, as is a bag of chips or fries, but I personally am not interested in mac & cheese or beans or anything like that. If I want those things, I’ll order them separately. For me, soup & a sandwich with a bag of chips is what really goes well together on a winter’s day, but that could just be a soup & sandwich combo special.
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### Author:  [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/17 "2012-08-02T12:59:18Z")
You should be thinking in terms of ingredient cost and preparation time as much as anything.
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### Author:  [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/18 "2012-08-02T13:04:57Z")
Pīrāgi (Latvian bacon buns) . If you make these right, you’ll have customers clamoring for more. Here’s a simple recipe and you can make them in advance. [Here’s a recipe.](http://www.latvianstuff.com/Piragi.html)
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/19 "2012-08-02T13:56:11Z")
Oh, my, bacon buns are awesome!! There’s a bakery here (Bridgeport Bakery) that often sells out of them by 7 a.m.
However, I can’t see them as a side dish to a sandwich. That’s like having a hot dog as a “side” to your hamburger.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-my-free-winter-side-dish-at-the-deli/630053/20 "2012-08-02T14:08:10Z")
> [@MandaJo](#):
>
> You should be thinking in terms of ingredient cost and preparation time as much as anything.
MacNCheese is right up there with that. It’s hard to beat staples like mashed potatoes or rice in terms of costs and labor, but they aren’t very impressive either.
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Oh, my, bacon buns are awesome!! There’s a bakery here (Bridgeport Bakery) that often sells out of them by 7 a.m.
>
> However, I can’t see them as a side dish to a sandwich. That’s like having a hot dog as a “side” to your hamburger.
Something’s wrong with having a hot dog as a side to your hamburger? 😕
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