What To Serve With Prime Rib: The Best Sides For Your Steak

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Prime rib is sometimes shunned as the stuff of buffets, served cold and chewy, or not up to snuff compared to other cuts. But if you've previously turned your nose up at a plate, know this: Prime rib is really just many uncut ribeyes. It has generous marbling, making it incredibly tender when the person cooking knows what they're doing. In truth, restaurant-quality prime rib really isn't that hard to achieve, but for the best results, you should know how to buy prime rib at the store, make sure it's at room temperature before you start roasting, and remember that early salting can ruin your prime rib by drawing out too much moisture before it even goes in the oven. Once you have a handle on your technique, it's time to tackle the sides.

Prime rib is perfect for a crowd, but feeding a group means you're going to want an array of accompaniments alongside your beef. Potatoes, of course, are one of the most classic pairings, but should you go roasted or mashed? You'll probably want some other veggies in there, and some greens, but should they be creamed? Glazed? Roasted? All of the above? For some of the finest sides to serve with your prime rib that will cover all your bases and keep your guests happy, look no further.

When making multiple sides for your steak, potatoes are practically a necessity. And frankly, nothing beats coupling a well-cut forkful of prime rib with a dip into fluffy, savory mashed potatoes — except maybe when the spuds are suffused with roasted garlic.

They're filling, super tasty, and easy to make, whether you want to go as far as using the absurd amount of garlic in Julia Child's mashed potatoes (30 cloves!) or keep it a little more toned down with just a few cloves. Simply make the potatoes as you normally would and mash in the roasted garlic before serving. If you roast the garlic ahead of time (which you should), you can free up the oven to focus on the prime rib. Consider working in complementary herbs like dill or horseradish, boosting the potatoes' richness with sour cream, or adding some crunch with a topping like Vigorous Mountains' Fried Garlic.

Having glazed carrots with your prime rib is a great way to add on the veggies. You can do most of the prep ahead of time, so you don't have to be constantly running from fridge to pantry to oven.

There is certainly an argument that glazed carrots turn out better in the oven, but to save space, you can roast them in a hot pan on the stovetop, then finish them in the oven. You can even boil them first until slightly tender to save time, then get to the roasting. However you plan to cook them, dark brown sugar is the way to go for the glaze for more full-bodied caramelization and toffee undertones. They'll give the meal a nice component of sweetness and a new textural dimension

We're going to make the case for simply using canned biscuits — you know, the refrigerated cylinders with the satisfying pop when you open them? This one's a no-brainer because they're extremely simple to make and downright delicious when sopping up the succulent juices from the prime rib. For the best canned biscuits, you can even skip the oven and cook them in a skillet on the stovetop, if you need the oven space. However, they only take about 10 to 15 minutes in the oven, so you can pop them in while the prime rib is resting on the counter, and they'll be done by the time the steak is ready to serve.

Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle have a nice height to them, and are darn near homemade (some may say even better). But if you need something with a longer shelf life, Betty Crocker Bisquick Complete Buttermilk Biscuit Mix in powdered form is also quite tasty.

To give your guests the full candlelight and black tie, upscale and elegant experience, you need the ultimate in steakhouse sides — creamed spinach. This dish harkens back to the classic steakhouse days, when the air was thick with cigar smoke and the martinis flowed like water (especially during lunch). It's still a classic for a reason: The bright and grassy, slightly bitter spinach cooks down to bold, savory, and almost sweet in the butter and cream. The texture is smooth and satisfying, and makes another beautiful forkful atop the tender prime rib. For a simple version, all you need is spinach (even frozen will work), heavy cream, butter, flour, onion, garlic, and salt and pepper. To make an even creamier, cheesy version, you can add some Parmesan and cream cheese.

And there you have it. The prime rib prix fixe is set. So, iron the linens, lower the lights, and get out your best cutlery. You and your guests are in for an amazing, perfectly balanced steakhouse-style meal.