The Thanksgiving Vegetable Dish Andrew Zimmern Swears By — Exclusive

If there's one Thanksgiving dinner invite we'd like to receive, it'd be from Andrew Zimmern's household. The famous chef is already preparing for Thanksgiving and, with the numerous delectable foods coming to the table, can we really blame him? In an exclusive interview with Mashed, the "Bizarre Foods" host detailed that he will never "yuck on someone else's yum." The menu is all yours — if you want to incorporate non-traditional or more traditional foods, you can. After all, tradition means something different to everybody.

As far as Zimmern's non-traditional dish of choice, the chef will be making a root vegetable purée that he didn't have on the table last year. "I rotate dishes through because there's too many favorites," Zimmern said. "I make a purée of root vegetables, of carrot, rutabaga, and sweet potato, and I season it with butter and smoked brown sugar." He'll be "seasoning it differently" than in the past — and just maybe convincing us to make it, too.

If you choose to make your own root vegetable purée this year, you can either focus on the vegetables that Andrew Zimmern is planning to incorporate, or you can add some alternatives. Beets, parsnips, turnips, or cauliflower are all commonly used in this dish, especially in the winter seasons. A root vegetable purée can easily be substituted with the term "vegetable mash." Both require you to cook your preferred vegetables before mixing them with milk, butter, salt, and pepper in a blender.

Once the purée forms, transfer it to a serving dish and garnish it with whatever spice or ingredient you choose. Think traditional mashed potatoes but with vegetables instead of Yukon Golds. It only takes about 20 minutes of cooking time and will be a simple yet elegant side to include on your Thanksgiving menu. If Zimmern is willing to whip up some extra root vegetable purée for us, then that would be even better.