So I'm hosting an Xmas lunch/party this year for the first time. It's near the start of December so getting festive quite early this year . All after the initial heart-attack of none of the supermarkets delivering turkey at that time of December, but have managed to sort it out with a butchers.
I've been doing plenty of research on MN and online but still a few questions I had for you very knowledgable ladies!
Plan is to have smoked salmon and quiche canapes with champers/sparkling, then lunch being served around 3.30 - 4 with Nigella's turkey, Jamie's gravy and stuffing and parsnips, carrots and sprouts, roasties and pigs in blanket and cranberry sauce. Then later on in the evening, mince pies and mulled wine.
- I've read that lots of people peel and chop potatoes the day/night before. Is it better to leave them soaking in cold water overnight, or is it better to freeze them? Soaking them sounds easier to me as I have a fear of defrosting anything and worried about messing up the timing for the roasting.
- A lot of you ladies advocate using foil roasting trays so they can be disposed of, so I'm planning to use my normal roasting tin for the turkey and foil for everything else. Does it work okay for potatoes too? No sticking?
- I'm planning on using the BBC mince pies recipe www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2174/unbelievably-easy-mince-pies but I don't understand how to freeze it! So does that mean you have to put the entire muffin tin into the freezer? Not sure my freezer would fit that
- I don't understand giblets. Do they definitely come separated and in a bag? Should I ask my butcher to remove them and give them to me separately? Will the neck already be removed?
- Do you carve your turkey in the roasting tin?
- Finally... one of my biggest worries... how do you carve a turkey?!
Thanks!