Summer is all about firing up the grill and flexing your grillmaster skills to your friends, neighbors, and family. However, while burgers and other meats take center stage, there is always the age-old question of what to serve with burgers. Staples, such as packaged potato chips or store-bought potato salad, leave much to be desired. While you don’t want to steal the thunder from your main course, you also don’t want to underwhelm your guests with lackluster side dishes. What to do about this culinary conundrum?
1. Potatoes – but in other ways
“Po-ta-toes. Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew.” The culinary expert Sam Gamgee certainly knew there were many ways to use the humble tuber. Beyond chips and potato salad, there are clever ways to incorporate potatoes that add excitement to your meal. For instance, consider
- Grilled sliced potatoes
- Potatoes au gratin
- Niçoise salad
- Mashed potato cakes
- Pierogis
- Roasted red potatoes
2. Broccoli Salad
Broccoli salad is a well-known side dish for barbeque. It makes sense because the salad has sweet, salty, savory, fat, and even some veggies to counterbalance all the meats coming off the grill. It can be made ahead and served chilled so you can focus all your attention on the grill.
3. Corn and Avocado Salad
This corn and avocado salad makes great use of seasonal summer vegetables. It doesn’t take long to make, and you can even grill the corn to maximize the experience. It’s sure to be a hit with the current popularity of avocados.
4. Watermelon Feta Salad
The watermelon and feta salad is one of those surprisingly delicious salads. It is perfect for hot summer days because the watermelon and herbs are sweet and refreshing. The mix of sweet and salty makes this dish the ideal complement to a juicy, savory burger.
5. Chilled Ramen Salad
Are you looking for a salad with a little more crunch? This chilled ramen salad uses dry ramen noodles to add some crunchiness to the flavor-packed dish. It’s best served chilled, which makes for a welcome reprieve from the summer heat.
6. Baked Beans
This recipe for baked beans is more than your typical side dish for burgers. Rather than simply opening a can of Bush’s finest, put your baking skills to work and make this baked beans recipe that is sure to blow your guests’ palates away.
7. Zucchini Fries
If your ideal side for burgers is fries, put a twist on it and use a different vegetable than potatoes next time. While there are many options for fries, one of the best is zucchini. Zucchini fries have a pleasant texture and mild taste, so you can add some seasoning and ketchup and enjoy.
What will you serve with burgers this summer?
There is an unlimited supply of the best side dishes for burgers, but we hope this list has given you some options to try out this summer. Whether you grill burgers, steaks, brisket, fish, or anything else, don’t forget to include a delicious side dish that complements all your hard work over the fire. Looking for other new ideas to try out this summer? Check out our Top Summer Grilling Secrets post.