Planning is essential when you want to serve the perfect gourmet meal. So, you need to have side dishes to go with it; everyone knows that. Here are two great ideas that will complement most gourmet meals.

The first one is Baconeese, which serves four. This recipe takes 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to bake. Ingredients include 4 large baking potatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 cup bacon (chopped), 1 cup cheddar cheese, and 4 scallions. Then for the dip you need 1 cup sour cream, 4 scallions, and 1 teaspoon horseradish sauce. Preheat your oven to 425F. Cut potatoes into 8 wedges and put in a bowl with oil, paprika, and salt. Toss well and arrange them on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. Put grated cheese and scallions over them and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and they are brown. While they are baking, you can make the dip. Stir together the sour cream, scallions, and horseradish sauce. Spoon into a serving bowl, place bowl in the center of a plate and arrange the cheese wedges around the bowl. You should serve these hot. Find this recipe at http://www.free-gourmet-recipes.com/vegb.shtml.

Then you can make a buttered, slammed baked potato. You should cook it for 1 1/2 hours. You need a large potato, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and a small pat of butter. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, prick potato with a fork and rub with oil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, wrap potato in a clean towel and smash it. Drop butter into it, sprinkle with salt, and eat immediately. You can add toppings to it like sour cream and cheese. Find this at http://www.free-gourmet-recipes.com/vegbsb.shtml.