Veggie sides, but not as you know them: a spicy-sweet, Mexican-style roast pumpkin with salsa and chipotle oil, an almost-Indonesian marinated beetroot with salty peanut dressing, and charred brussels sprouts in a lime and basil dressing

The secret to cooking for a festive get-together? Organisation, so you can join in with all the fun, too

If the traditional Christmas meal isn't really your bag, there's a lot to be said for trying something new for a change, says Yotam Ottolenghi

Fondant Swede (Rutabaga) Gratin

Whet the appetite with stilton hush puppies, anchovy crostinis and a ‘pre-dessert’ of chocolate salami

A selection of some of our favourite Ottolenghi side dishes to help you liven up your Christmas feast this year.

This is a real fridge raid of whatever root vegetables you have to hand. Don’t skimp on the potatoes, though: they’re what make it super-comforting. Use whichever sweet spice mix you have in the house

A set of festive snacks: caraway, spelt and parmesan grissini with aleppo chilli, to dip in a three-cheese mix with spiced date syrup and pine nuts, and a posh, sake-cured salmon with sesame sprinkles and pickles

Everything you want from roast sweet potatoes but, thanks to the pickled chillies and pecans, without any of that overly cloying sweetness they’re sometimes prone to. You can get everything ready a good few hours before eating and just assemble before serving

There’s no reason cauliflower cheese, roast celeriac or braised carrots and leeks can’t be the stars of the show, rather than just the support acts