How many and what veg do you have on your dinner?

[parentingperson]

I have two oven shelves which will be cooking chicken (not doing Turkey) on one and roast potato / stuffing on the other.

Four hobs, one of which used for mash potatoes so that leaves 3 x hobs for vegetables.

What veg and how many types do you do for Christmas dinner?

I feel like I need to be selective due to the above so thinking:

Peas and carrots in one
Broccoli and cauli in the other - possibly with a cheese sauce
Then I have one job free - is that enough veg or should I do another?

Red Cabbage
Sprouts with pancetta
Cauliflower cheese
Mashed swede
Chantenay carrots
Tenderstem broccoli
Glazed Parsnips

I can't be bothered with 8-10 vegetable sides!

I will do 3 and make them as perfect as possible.

Roast potatoes
Shredded sprouts with cream and pancetta
Honey roasted carrots

Those along with two meats and two stuffings and Yorkshire puddings will be plenty.

"Also not sure when lots of people started serving Yorkshire puddings with all roast meats, not just beef."

From when they were invented. Beef was so expensive for ordinary people that they were later used to pad out a dinner. So they were sold as something special rather than a cheap filler carb.

We have a steamer so can do 3 layers in one. Peas I normally microwave but don’t usually do them at Christmas. This year:
Braised cabbage (already in freezer, will heat through on the day)
Swede, carrots and Brussels in the steamer.
Leeks, I’m not sure how I’m doing them this year, they’re from the garden so want to show them off.
Potatoes in the oven.
I might have to do an extra veg because my brother in law is fussy.

Also not sure when lots of people started serving Yorkshire puddings with all roast meats, not just beef

Why wouldn’t you? They’re delicious.

People with electric steamers. What will your set up be on Christmas Day. How do you layer and what are the timings?

I'm thinking of buying one.

Roast potatoes and parsnips in oven
Carrots, Sprouts and Broccoli or peas (ds' choice) in a layered steamer on one ring.

We also have stuffing, bread sauce, pigs in blankets ( all made in advance and wrapped in foil) and cranberry sauce.

I don't like doing or eating too many different vegetables. I find it just detracts from the experience rather than adds. I'm having a break from cooking this year which is nice, but when I next do it, I think I'll go carrots, sprouts, braised red cabbage. That along with turkey, pigs in blankets, stuffing, roast potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce is more than a meal for anyone, especially considering all the other amazing food there is to have on Christmas Day.

We have what ever comes in the veg box 🤣 though there has to be carrots and sprouts, hopefully cauliflower cheese, roast parsnips and possibly swede.

Sprouts, cauliflower, carrot and swede mash, caramelised roast parsnips with shallots and bacon.

Brussels sprouts, red cabbage and cauli cheese are essential. Usually do chantenay carrots and peas as well and often green beans and/or broccoli. Parsnips are not welcome in this house though.
Why are you doing mashed potatoes if you have roast potatoes as well?

I used to have an electric steamer but got rid of it because it didn’t fit in the dishwasher properly. Now I have a steamer that sits on top of a saucepan. I would usually steam broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and boil green beans, peas and Brussels sprouts. Peas can also be microwaved from frozen!

Red cabbage (I've done the Nigella one from the Christmas episode of at my table), it's currently in the freezer and will just need reheating.

Honey roast parsnips - also cooked and on a tinfoil tray in the freezer ready to drizzle with olive oil and honey and shoved in next to the roasties.

Carrot and swede mash which is also done and in the freezer so just needs nuking on the day.

Sprouts I'll cook fresh so that's the only thing on the hob on Christmas Day.

Roasties are par boiled and in the freezer on a tinfoil tray like the parsnips.

Christmas Day is manic in my house. I have 6 DC and 2 baby grandsons, and I also host my exh and his dad. If I'm not well prepared in advance then I'd never get a minute to enjoy it!

@TuftyMarmoset

Brussels sprouts, red cabbage and cauli cheese are essential. Usually do chantenay carrots and peas as well and often green beans and/or broccoli. Parsnips are not welcome in this house though. Why are you doing mashed potatoes if you have roast potatoes as well?

Because we LOVE mash

Could I cook that and reheat on the day does anyone know?

@TuftyMarmoset

I used to have an electric steamer but got rid of it because it didn’t fit in the dishwasher properly. Now I have a steamer that sits on top of a saucepan. I would usually steam broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and boil green beans, peas and Brussels sprouts. Peas can also be microwaved from frozen!

Now I'm torn as I hate washing up. But the on hob steamers won't fit as much in I'd expect.

I can’t see why you wouldn’t be able to reheat mash, pretty sure I’ve done it before. The other option is pre prepared or frozen mash - it comes in little patties and you can microwave them. It horrifies DP but it’s not awful and guaranteed no lumps.
I have this steamer - it’s not as wide as the electric one I had (which was oval and took up loads of counter space) but it’s just as deep as the two layers the electric one had. The difference is that it’s all in one so you wouldn’t be able to keep different things separated if you have any fussy people!

Tufty, you can buy multiple classic steamers and stack them. I have a double one, so I can keep food separate. They still only use one ring.

£42 for a steamer is a bit excessive. I have this from Wilko
www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-stainless-steel-steamer-3-tier/p/0505170
Plenty large enough with two steam pans.

Shredded Sprouts with bacon and chestnuts

Parsnips and carrots roasted in maple syrup,clementines and butter

Cauliflower cheese

Red cabbage

Tenderstem broccoli

Petit pois peas

I use those microwave steam packs, so I suppose you could say three as there's three different veg in a pack.

That sounds lovely. I have 2 steamer pans for the hob that are 3 tiers each so I can save more space and cook more vegetables. We usually have lots of different vegetables at Christmas because some people don't like certain veg so i try to cater for everyone. Everyone just helps themselves. I usually do: carrots, parsnips, mashed potatoe, sprouts, turnip, brocoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

Honey roasted carrots and parsnips and spiced red cabbage.

That's enough veg, though I'd skip the cheese.
We do sprouts, beans and carrots. I steam them, and as there's just three of us they can all go in the same steamer. We also have parsnips, roasties and sweet potato, obviously those in the oven.

Brussels sprouts, Broccoli, red cabbage, roast potatoes and roast parsnips.

One year I did about 7 and I was the only one eating them all plus loads of clearing up.

Im going to try braised cabbage - any recipe recommendations?

Also found a Nigel Slater stir fry sprout recipe that I will try; roast potatoes; roast parsnips and carrots; fancy garlic cauliflower cheese from a recent recipe in a sunday paper; maybe broccoli and beans too.