Beans

• Baked beans are an American barbecue staple with pork, but many other cuisines serve pork with beans. Cuban-style black beans, which include a colorful sofrito of multicolored peppers and onions, are often served with roasted pork. French cassoulet pairs creamy white beans with tomatoes and herbs and although the original version contains pork and other meats, a vegetarian version can certainly be a side dish for a roast. Borracho beans combine pinto beans with beer, spices and chilies to make a zesty Mexican-inspired pairing with spicy, thin-sliced or shredded pork roast.

Greens

• Greens, from lettuce to collards, help offset the richness of roasted pork. Collard greens, the Low Country cuisine pork partner, do not have to be cooked all day with lots of fat, they can be simply sauteed with garlic and olive oil, as can Swiss chard, kale or any other hearty green. Salads made from sturdier lettuces, like frisee, Belgian endive, or those with more assertive flavor, like radicchio and thinly sliced apples, are a clever way to incorporate the fruit so commonly served with pork. Or toss hot, sauteed onions and balsamic vinegar over spinach or arugula for a super-quick and bracing wilted salad for the succulent roast.

Grains

• Polenta is northern Italy's answer to mashed potatoes and is about as comforting when the pork roast juices mingle with the creamy cornmeal. Quinoa cooked with dried fruits, cinnamon and a little orange or lemon zest will bring Moroccan flair to your roast. Stir-fry cooked -- preferably day-old -- rice with onions, garlic, ginger, frozen peas and soy sauce for an Asian pork roast pairing.

Vegetables

• Go beyond potatoes and use vegetables that are in season to serve with your pork roast. Fall calls for roasted sweet potatoes, squash or Brussels sprouts. Warm, comforting food for the freezing days of winter make a gratin of broccoli or cauliflower a hearty substitute for the more common potato gratin. Spring is the time to roast asparagus spears or quickly saute snow peas and serve with a lemon dressing. And summer is the perfect time for a cool salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh herbs.