Family Christmas dinner without the faff

[LazyDoll]

Hi,
We are being hosted for actual Christmas dinner but my husbands family are coming to us to eat the week before for that side of the families celebrations. We want to have something with a bit of a spesh ‘Christmas Day’ feel but not be tied to the kitchen (5 kids 10-16) and want to pop out to a local Christingle service/see the village Christmas lights. Can anyone please recommend a slow cooker meal for the 9 of us?! Happy to prepare stuff in advance but be a bit more effortless than a full on roast. Tia

A beef casserole would be warm and substantial. Everything in one pot so very little faff at all.

Jacket potatoes, chilli topping in slow cooker?

Slow cooker beef bourguinon. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-beef-bourguignon

If you're feeling really fancy, once it's cooked, add a sheet of puff pastry on top and return to the oven until pastry is cooked.

@Defiantly41

Slow cooker beef bourguinon. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-beef-bourguignon

If you're feeling really fancy, once it's cooked, add a sheet of puff pastry on top and return to the oven until pastry is cooked.

This is what we have every year except I cook it the week before on the hob, freeze it and defrost overnight in fridge and pop it in slow cooker christmas morning. I make mashed potatoes christmas morning and they go back in oven for 20 minutes whilst roasties are nearly done. Easy.

Sausage and bacon casserole served with creamy mustard mash and honey roasted carrots and parsnips.

If Marks and Spencer food to order is still open, I can highly recommend their shin of beef. Shove it in the oven, veg and mash.

I’ve done www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/easy-entertaining/venison-braised-in-guinness-and-port-with-pickled-walnuts a few times for the same sort of thing. Works fine with beef.

I would pop a Beef joint into Slow Cooker! Either with red wine or beef stock (if catering for DC). Lots of Roasties /Yorkshires (Bought to save time) Beef has a long cooking time ,so would be able to pop out to your festivities .I would give it about 6 hours on low . Simply serve with some nice veggies!

@defiantly41 and @kshhuxnxk that recipe looks fabulous. I'm going to make that for entertaining. But....I'm not good at buying nice beef. The ocado diced beef 5% fat is always tough.....whereas my parents buy beef that falls apart when cooked.... any recommendations for which beef to buy? Happy for you to recommend both specific shops and cuts. Thanks.

I do a slow roasted leg of lamb. Shove it in a casserole on a bed of butter beans and garlic with a bottle of red wine as early as you like and a few hours later... "chef's kiss".

[quote Mumdiva99]**@defiantly41* and @kshhuxnxk* that recipe looks fabulous. I'm going to make that for entertaining. But....I'm not good at buying nice beef. The ocado diced beef 5% fat is always tough.....whereas my parents buy beef that falls apart when cooked.... any recommendations for which beef to buy? Happy for you to recommend both specific shops and cuts. Thanks.[/quote]
Lean meat with less than 5% fat needs to be cooked quickly to keep its natural tenderness.

For a slow cooked piece of beef which falls apart when you serve it, you need a cut with lots of connective tissue, which renders out to give flavour and richness to your finished dish. This will be a cut from a part of the animal which has done lots of work. These tend also to be cheaper because they need more cooking. Shin of beef is perfect for this (I have got this from Morrison’s before, though usually from the local butchers). If you can go into a butcher’s shop and tell them what you want to do with the meat, they will tell you what they have that fits the bill.

Try braising steak rather than stewing steak/beef. But long slow cooking is usually the answer!

If you want something a bit less grown up than a casserole and more of a party vibe, I've had success with a hot dog 'bar' before! Basically roasted a few different types of good quality sausages in the oven and then I had a table full of rolls, cheddar/plastic/blue cheese, chilli, jalapenos, hot dog relish, mustard etc and a few plates of potato wedges. People could then customise their own hot dogs. Sounds basic but it goes down an absolute storm with a room of kids/drunk adults.

I would just go for pulled pork in buns with some homemade potato wedges. Nice, easy and filling. Failing that then hotdogs x

@MsAgnesDiPesto thanks....I used to buy Shin when it was a cheap cut!!! Harder to get now and not so cheap. 🤣

@defiantly41 thanks will look for braising.

Is your slow cooker actually big enough to make dinner for nine people? For me that would be very small portions of the main ingredient.

We always do Lasagne or Moussaka if we have a big family get together! Not Christmassy but is very nostalgic of family get togethers and very well received by everyone from 85 year old Great Grannies all the way to the 3 year olds!

{https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/01/slow-roasted-shoulder-lamb-recipe}

I'm not sure that link works. This recipe is great because you can chuck it in the oven and leave it for hours - it's very forgiving! Then you've just got a few vegetables to worry about.

If I had 9 people I would do a lasagne, chilli, chicken curry or beef pie. All cooked beforehand and heated up on the day. Serve with rice and jacket potatoes and veg.

Fish and Chips from the takeaway, add a sprig of holly to give it a festive feeling.

Massive salad, loads of veggies and a free range chicken.

Should be enough lleftovers to see you through to Christmas

We are cheating this year OP ..seven of us and christmas dinner is takeaway chinese! Ours is open 12 til 2 xmas day and we are all ordering different stuff and throwing it all in the middle of the table for us all to share, No mess No hassle! Would be no washing up to do either but even I can;t sink to paper plates!!

This is good, and a little bit Christmassy.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/braised-beef-red-wine-cranberry

Oh WOW amazing thank you ALL!!!!! This is fantastic. I’m going to have a proper look through now but I can definitely feel something coming together already!! Yes my slow cooker is mammoth so we’re all covered there!!!

D’you know I think the hot dogs win!!! I love the look of the Delia beef and will definitely give that one a go but hot dog bar suits this crew totally…I may even reuse it for our NYE party. Thanks again!!!