Top 9 Side Dishes Mainers Serve Turkey Day

The countdown is on for Turkey Day, With exactly one week until Thanksgiving, many Mainers are planning and prepping for what they'll pair with their big bird.

What sides will be complimenting the main course this year? We asked what you plan to serve alongside the turkey, and here's what you had to say.

1.) Mashed Potatoes

Overwhelmingly, almost everyone agrees that a Thanksgiving Day meal would not be complete without a heaping helping of mashed potatoes. Whether slathered in butter or doused with gravy, Mainers loved their tubular tubers.

2.) Stuffing or as some call it "dressing"

Some like it from inside the bird, while others bake it separately. With additions like cranberries or rice, sweet or savory, it's not only great as a side dish but also makes a wonderful "glue" for that day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich!

3.) Green Beans

You can put these into a casserole with French Onions, sprinkle some sea-salt and almonds on them, or serve them up with butter and bacon. Yes, we understand that both of those things probably take away from the nutritional value of this veggie, but it's Thanksgiving! Isn't all food calorie-free on Thanksgiving?

4.) Salad

It's probably the only thing you won't have to physically cook on Turkey Day, aside from the cranberry sauce. A good salad offers folks a cooler break from all the hot sides. Depending on the temperature in the house and the weather outside, sometimes a good side salad is a good palate cleanser from the hot and steamy foods that you'll be shoveling into your mouth all day.

5.) Onions

Stewed, caramelized, and even pickled, onions are a staple of many Maine families. In this case, what's usually considered a food that adds flavoring, it's as a side dish where the onions get their moment to shine.

6.) Corn Bread

Is there anything better than warm cornbread with butter, or even better, molasses?! It's worth having simply for the smell it sends throughout the house. This sweet treat could almost be considered to be a dessert, but it's not.

7.) Dinner rolls or buns

A good doughy bite of butter bun is a pleasure to partake in on Thanksgiving Day. Plus, if you have any left after the meal is done, you can use it to sop up gravy! They're also handy as little late-night turkey bun snacks.

8.) Sweet Potato Casserole

Another side that could probably also pass as a dessert, sweet potato casserole--especially topped with mini marshmallows--is a special treat. Every bite is a gooey morsel of deliciousness.

9.) Cranberry Sauce

Without getting into the controversy of whether it should come from a can and resemble a jello mold, or be a little bit on the fresher side, with more of a "berry" appearance, there's no arguing that a nice tart bite of sauces added to a fork full of meat just enhances the experience of the holidays.

Those were the top 9 that made it on our list, but we know there are more. What sides are must-haves for your Thanksgiving Dinner?