It's not that Laura Stamp has anything against traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. It's just that she likes to let her inner creative chef out of the stuffing box.

"Thanksgiving is one of those times that you want to try some new recipes, but also want to keep family traditions," she said at the start of a class she gave in October, called "A Creative Thanksgiving."

"I call it stead-a. Instead of a Jell-O salad, I'll make a nice tossed green salad. Instead of pumpkin pie, I'll make a pumpkin cheesecake."

At the class, she demonstrated seven sides for the holiday season and gave us the recipes. Several will appear on my holiday table. The only thing she doesn't mess with is the turkey.

"Turkey is a given on Thanksgiving," she said. "Unless you're a vegetarian, then I guess you could go with a Tofurky."

What wasn't a given was what kind of turkey: a heritage bird or a cheaper one from the grocery store. She prepared both for the class to let us taste the difference.

Heritage turkeys are old-fashioned ones. Turkeys used to have brown feathers, which when plucked before cooking left unsightly brown spots on their skin. Turkey breeders worked to get the color out of the feathers, and now turkeys for mass production have white feathers. Turkey breeders were also looking for genetics that would make turkeys have larger breasts, which equaled more white meat; the turkey ended up with bigger drumsticks as well.

Stamp had prepared both turkeys in a brine solution. Her opinion of the heritage turkey was that the meat "was much darker and richer. It was more like duck meat." The cheaper turkey, she noted, had "globs of fat on it. I never saw so much greasy fat." The heritage turkey won our vote for flavor hands-down.

But be forewarned: Heritage turkeys are expensive. An 8- to 15-pound bird costs $5.49 a pound at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage. Whole Foods Market sells an heirloom turkey for $3.99 a pound that is described as "an old fashioned bronze turkey - like great-grandma used to serve." It's similar to the heritage turkey in that it has the darker meat. If you want to go this route you need to place orders for them.

Here's a rundown of the delicious stead-a sides Stamp tempted us with.

Stead-a relish tray ...
"My intent is to make things look nice using easy recipes," she said. "I didn't want to show you dishes that are so complicated you'd never want to do them again."
She suggested picking up an assortment of cheeses, gourmet condiments and cold cuts at a deli. Then arrange them attractively on a large colorful platter.

Stead-a salad ...
Stamp made Roasted Beets and Orange Salad with a Balsamic Reduction Dressing and Toasted Goat Cheese Rounds.
"When I was growing up, we had this really weird green Jell-O and cottage cheese salad," she said. "I just love red lettuce and thought this would be a better choice than Jell-O anything."
When selecting beets, look for ones with the green tops still on. Stamp says that way, you know they are fresh. And you can cook the greens for another dish.
"Beets are wonderful when you slow-roast them," she said. "They turn into little sugar balls."
For the balsamic reduction, Stamp recommends not getting expensive balsamic vinegar.

Stead-a sweet potato casserole ...
"Instead of making the recipe that tops the casserole with marshmallows, I lace mine with brandy. It's a wonderful recipe with lots of cream and butter. This is supereasy and can be done the day before. Less stress on the busy holiday."
Stead-a stuffing ...
"I found this recipe for Individual Leek Bread Puddings," she said. "I made the bread crumbs with challah, an eggy-rich bread that has more flavor."
Her recommendation is to use recipes as a basis for getting started. "Taste, taste, taste and tweak," she said, adding that's how she came up with the idea of using challah.

Stead-a cranberry sauce ...
Stamp's suggestion: Cranberry Napoleons, thin cookies layered with a mixture of mascarpone, heavy cream and powdered sugar, and studded with sugared cranberries. The three-layer cookies were then drizzled with a reduction of red wine, orange juice and cranberry juice.
Though stunning and tasty, I thought they would make a better dessert. Perhaps a more savory cranberry chutney would be a better stead-a.

Stead-a green bean casserole ...
Try her variation on a theme: Haricots Vert with shallots and pancetta.
Haricots vert are the skinny French green beans that can be found in the grocery store's frozen food area, or sometimes fresh. Pancetta is thinly sliced Italian ham.

Stead-a pumpkin pie ...
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap-pecan Crust. "I love this recipe," she said, adding that it should be made at least a day ahead.
-
Contact the writer: 636-0271 or teresa.farney@gazette.com