On the Side: More Than 100 Recipes for Sides, Salads, and Condiments That Make the Meal. by Jessica B. Harris Simon & Schuster, September 2004 $23, ISBN 0-743-24917-8

Pity the poor side dish. It's often an afterthought, a last-minute decision that never receives the attention of an entree or the glory of a dessert. That's a shame, because a side dish done well rounds out a meal and complements the main course.

Leave it to Harris to give side dishes their proper due. On the Side is Harris's 10th cookbook, and she devotes every page to elevating side dishes into something to savor. The first chapter of the book, thoughtfully organized by season, features plenty of familiar-sounding recipes with a couple of refreshing twists: A Mashed Sweet Potato recipe, for example, features grated carrots, ginger and pineapple; and Tumis Buncis (Indonesian-Style Green Beans) adds chilies, garlic and nutmeg to an otherwise traditional preparation.

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