Perfect Christmas Dinner Recipe
This recipe will guide you through cooking the perfect Christmas dinner. This recipe is aimed to have you dinner ready around 13:45. Beef Turkey Roast Potatoes Cauliflower Cheese Honey Roasted Carrots Roast Parsnips Gravy StuffingIngredients
01.
First we need to check the turkey cooking times so we can calculate the time to get it out of the fridge, remember to defrost fully in the fridge before, this could take up-to 36hrs. It's estimated that a 4.5kg turkey is around = 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes, we will also let it rest for 1-2hrs, remember to calculate this based on the birds weight and this will also be different if you use a crown. Please consult the packaging for more accurate results. But based on our bird at 4.5kg, get the bird out of the fridge ensuring its defrosted
02.
08:30 remove turkey from the fridge to allow it to get to room temperature.
03.
08:35 - Preheat the oven to maximum. Heat a saucepan until medium hot and add a splash of olive oil. Pick the sage leaves and add to the pan with 6 of the pancetta or bacon strips.
04.
08:40 - Peel then chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion and add to the pan with the celery. Fry everything gently until soft and golden brown. Take the pan off the heat, add the breadcrumbs and, while the mix is cooling down, roughly chop the apricots and stir them in.
05.
08:50 -The stuffing should be cooled, add the pork, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg and lots of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix everything together well.
06.
09:00 - Slice the remaining strips of pancetta or bacon in half and peel and slice 1 peeled garlic clove into thin slivers. Place a rosemary sprig and a garlic sliver on one end of a halved strip of pancetta and roll it up tightly. Repeat with the other pieces of pancetta until you have 12 little rolls, now stab the thighs and drumsticks of the turkey in 6 places on each side. Push a little pancetta roll into each hole until it just peeps out. This will give your turkey thighs a fantastic flavour and keep moist
07.
09:10 - Peel 3 onions and chop in half, and peel and thickly slice 2 carrots. Dry your turkey a good wipe, inside and out, with kitchen roll, and place it on a board, with the neck end towards you. Find the edge of the skin that's covering the turkey's breasts and gently peel it back. Work your fingers and then your hand under the skin, freeing it from the meat. If you're careful you should be able to pull all the skin away from the meat, keeping it attached at the sides. Go slowly and try not to make any holes!
08.
09:20 - Lift the loose skin at the neck end and spoon the stuffing between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop anything leaking out. Pop the orange in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm it up and stuff it into the cavity. Weigh the stuffed turkey and calculate the cooking time (about 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz).
09.
09:30 - Place the bird on a large roasting tray, rub it all over with olive oil and season well. Surround with the chopped carrots, onions and 5 cloves of garlic, cover with tin foil and place in the preheated oven. Turn the heat down right away to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and roast for the calculated time, or until the juices run clear from the thigh if you pierce it with a knife or a skewer.
10.
10:00 - Pigs in blankets - Working one at a time, lay 24 rashers of bacon out on a board. Add a few rosemary leaves, then place a sausage at one end and roll the bacon around it until it’s totally wrapped up. Place in a roasting tray and repeat till they’re all done. Leave in the fridge until later
11.
10:00 - Baste the Turkey
12.
10:30 - Baste the Turkey
13.
11:00 - Baste the Turkey and remove the tinfoil
14.
11:15 - For the beef wash and roughly chop 2 red onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled and put into a baking tray with 2 bay leaves, 2 rosemary sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with oil.
15.
11:30 - Baste the Turkey
16.
11:45 - Check the turkey. It's been 2hr 15min now so it maybe cooked but may require up-to 30 mins more, if cooked carefully lift the turkey out of the tray and rest on a board covered loosely with foil for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours for bigger birds.
17.
12:00 - Get beef out of the fridge. Note time based on medium and 1 hour cook time. If you prefer it medium-rare, push time forward 5 to 10 minutes. For well done, move times back 10 to 15 minutes.
18.
12:15 - Turn the oven back up to its highest temperature
19.
12:30 - Drizzle the beef with oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper, then rub all over the meat. Place the beef on top of the vegetables. Place in the oven, then turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook for 1 hour for medium beef.
20.
12:45 - Heat another oven to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5.
21.
12:45 - Potatoes - Rinse them under some water before placing in the air fryer basket of the Ninja Foodi. Pour 500ml of boiling water in the cooking pot of the Ninja Foodi before placing the basket inside. Place the pressure cooker lid on the Ninja Foodi and select high pressure for 2 minutes. Remember to check the valve is in the seal position.
22.
12:50 - Potatoes - When the pressure cooker has finished, perform a quick release before carefully removing the lid. Take the basket with the potatoes in them out of the Ninja Foodi, taking care not to burn your hands. Give the potatoes a gentle shake to fluff them up - this will help to crisp them up. Pour the water from the Ninja Foodi pot. Leave to steam dry
23.
12:55 - Stuffing - Make the stuffing to the pack instructions and leave to rest, then roll into stuffing balls and set aside in a baking tray
24.
12:50 - Parsnips - Top and tail the parsnips, cutting any larger ones in half lengthways, then put in a large saucepan, cover with salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins.
25.
13:00 Baste Beef
26.
13:00 - Parsnips - Drain in a colander and let them steam-dry for a few mins.
27.
13:05 - Parsnips - Sprinkle 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp honey over the parsnips and toss to coat. Put the parsnips in a roasting tin with 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 2 tbsp butter and seasoning. Put in the oven heated to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5.
28.
13:05 - Cauliflower Cheese - Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, then add the 2 cauliflower, broken into pieces, and cook for 5 mins – lift out a piece to test, it should be cooked then drain the cauliflower, then tip into an ovenproof dish
29.
13:05 - Brussels - Heat a large frying pan, add 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces, and gently fry for 10 mins until crisp and golden.
30.
13:05 - Brussels - Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then tip in 1 kg trimmed brussels sprouts. Once back to the boil, cook for 5 mins. Drain, run under the cold tap until cold, then drain again, leave to the side.
31.
13:05 - Pigs in Blankets - Put in the oven heated to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5.
32.
13:10 - Cauliflower Cheese - Put the saucepan back on the heat and add 1L milk, 8 tbsp flour and 100g butter. Whisk the mixture fast as the butter melts and the mixture comes to the boil – the flour will disappear and the sauce will begin to thicken. Whisk for 2 mins while the sauce bubbles and becomes nice and thick.
33.
13:10 - Potatoes - Turn on the Airfryer to Air Crisp mode @ 200c. While it heats Drizzle the oil over the potatoes, you might need to use a brush to make sure they are all covered. You may prefer to transfer the potatoes to a larger bowl if you find there is not enough space to oil them up in the basket. Season with your choice of herbs, or just with salt and pepper if preferred.
34.
13:15 - Brussels - Tip the bacon out of the pan, leaving the fat behind, then add 200g chestnuts and fry over a high heat for about 5 mins until tinged. Tip out of the pan, keep the pan and fat.
35.
13:15 - Carrots - On a large baking sheet, toss carrots with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Put into the beef oven
36.
13:20 - Cauliflower Cheese - Turn off the heat, stir in most of the 100g grated cheddar cheese and pour over the cauliflower. Scatter over the remaining cheese, and 6 tbsp breadcrumbs if using. Put in the oven with the beef
37.
13:20 - Potatoes - Turn the potatoes
38.
13:20 - Parsnips - Turn the parsnips
39.
13:20 - Stuffing - Put stuffing balls in beef oven
40.
13:30 - Beef - When the beef is cooked to your liking, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the beef to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of tin foil and a tea towel
41.
13:30 - Gravy - When the turkey resting time's nearly up, skim off the surface fat from the roasting tray and add the flour and stock. Place the tray on the hob and bring to the boil on a high heat. When the gravy starts to thicken, strain it into a bowl.
42.
13:30 - Brussels - Add the brussels sprouts to the bacon fat pan with a splash of water, then cover and finish cooking over a medium heat for about 5 mins, stirring now and again, until just tender.
43.
13:40 - Yorkshire Puddings - Put Yorkshire Puddings in oven
44.
13:40 - Turkey/Beef - Start Carving
45.
13:40 - Pigs in Blankets - Using a fish slice, scrape the pigs in blankets from the bottom of the tray, leaving them in there, then add 6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and give it a good shake, scraping all that sticky goodness from the bottom of the tray. Pour in 4 teaspoons of honey, then place on a medium heat on the hob and bring to the boil until caramelised, shaking continuously to coat.
46.
13:40 - Brussels - Uncover, turn up the heat, then add most of the 50g butter and sauté the sprouts for 2 mins more. Tip in the bacon and chestnuts, season generously with salt and pepper, then serve with the last knob of butter on top.
