Christmas food prep advice please

[PerverseConverse]

Hi, my two daughters are going to their dad's straight after Christmas lunch so in order to maximise my morning with them I don't want to be spending it in the kitchen.

What can I prepare ahead of time? It goes against my knowledge of nutrition to have veg sat in water for any length of time but I'm willing to forgo vitamin content on Christmas Day

Stuffing balls? Someone said they can be made then frozen but do they cook from frozen? How long do they take?

We don't eat meat so is just the veg, roast potatoes, and stuffing balls that need doing. Yorkshire puddings are frozen and ready to go. We will have honey roast carrots and parsnips, roast potatoes, tender stem broccoli, maybe some festive sprouts, and petit pois.

I know meat eaters don't get it but we all can't wait for our huge plate of veg, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing balls and cranberry sauce!

Any tips gratefully appreciated

I cook my veg the day before put in lovely serving dishes with clingfilm in the fridge...absolutely perfect. Stuffing balls and pigs in blankets half cooked night before leave in roasting tin. Have peeled pots in a pan of cold water ready to boil then roast on the day. Job done

I'm planning to peel and chop the root veg the night before and keep in the fridge. I will par boil potatoes the day before and also keep in the fridge, they crisp better I think.

Stuffing balls from frozen, just add maybe 5-10 mins cooking time.

If you Par boil the potatoes do you leave them in water in the fridge?

No I always drain and let them cool a bit first

This might help www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1789635/freezeahead-roasties

There’s some good tips in this article

peel all the veg the night before.

make stuffing and freeze in balls.

When the oven is hot, take the pan with hot oil in out, bung in drained spuds, carrots and parsnips and lob the stuffing balls in. Coat all in oil. Bang back in oven.
Take out after 20 mins, tumble them all about, add in your main to the same pan, say nut roast whatevers. Top tip use the masher to squish roast spuds at this point.

5-10 mins later, put the veg on.
boil or steam.
5 mins before all done, add frozen yorkies into the oven pan, add frozen peas to the veg pan, make up some gravy from granules and serve up.

Thank you.
Sorry to be thick but do the veg need to be in water overnight or could they just be covered/in a freezer/food bag?

I like the idea of eating it on Christmas Eve and might do that on other years but can't do it this year.

in water.

Thanks

I parboil potatoes and let them cool then put in the fridge overnight. Roast (add to hot oil) from fridge cold - it helps male them crispy.

Peel and chop parsnips and put in a sealed plastic bag with a sparse coating of oil then tip out onto the roasting tin/tray from the fridge to cook.

Peel and chop carrots, put in the fridge in a sealed plastic bag with a tiny bit of water if boiling them the next day (or oil as above for parsnips or roasting).

Cook red cabbage ahead of time and fridge or freeze then microwave to reheat. Same with swede mash or buy ready made .

Peel sprouts and just put in the fridge no water.

All of the above tried and tested by me. I also cook stuffing balls from frozen, but mine are sausage meat so probably not what you are after?

Everything keeps warm happily for ages (except it's worth getting the roast potatoes out of the oven lost thing) so you can cook when it's convenient and then serve up calmly too.

Enjoy your morning

I've never done red cabbage. I might have to add it to my veg list. I've only ever had pickled red cabbage with stews as a child.

I love it, but I'm the only one in my house to be fair!