What do you usually prep on Xmas eve?

[LizMacD0nald]

I'm going to prep my beef joint and cook it tomorrow as my oven space is limited on Xmas day with the festive bird, potatoes, carrots and what not.
Wondering what else to prep tomorrow so it makes Christmas day easier.
Sorry if there is already thread like this, I couldn't see one.

@popcorndiva

I par boil carrots , parsnips and potatoes day before. Reduces washing up on the day.

I zip lock the carrots and parsnips and put back in fridge. Potatoes I keep in pan on hob in water with a splash of milk.

What do you do with your potatoes once parboiled? I want to do it this year but nor sure what to do with them after

Make trifle and chocolate mousse. DH will make sausage rolls and mince pies. Dd will make pavlova , but actually that’s for Christmas Eve.
Will also prep veg and from reading this will also par boil and chill tats.

Ideally:

A sweet pie for dessert, so it has plenty of time to cool off.

The sausage meat stuffing, so it can also cool off and be safely rolled with the turkey breast joint.

Stuff, roll, skewer and tie the turkey breast joint so that it can go straight into the oven on Xmas day, sometime after breakfast.

If we're doing cranberry sauce (need to check) and I use the frozen cranberries in my freezer, that's easy enough to make the night before.

But my SIL is doing the veggies and a ham.

@popcorndiva

I par boil carrots , parsnips and potatoes day before. Reduces washing up on the day.

I zip lock the carrots and parsnips and put back in fridge. Potatoes I keep in pan on hob in water with a splash of milk.

@popcorndiva splash of milk? Intrigued by this!

Prepare the veg.
Par boil the potatoes.
Make my sausage plait for the buffet in the evening.
Lay the table for Xmas Dinner ( we have pastries for breakfast as we open gifts.)

Make the plum and ginger stuffing, and the apricot and chestnut stuffing, spice them and refrigerate with the turkey.
Turn the smoked streaky bacon rashers in the whisky marinade, ready to dress the turkey the next day.
Mince fresh garlic in duck fat, blunt dissect a pouch between the turkey’s skin and breast meat, and push the mixture in, to keep the meat moist and flavoured while cooking.
Ice the chocolate chestnut log with melted Nutella.
Defrost the red cabbage, apple and onion mix in red wine that I made a few weeks ago.
Defrost the thick smoked salmon steaks for Xmas Eve dinner.

Prepare salad for the Xmas Eve lunch buffet.
Then sit down with Carols from Kings or similar, a glass of good wine and some Xmas nibbles!

Yeah the splash of milk in the water keeps them white and fresh. Been doing it for years, saw it on a cookery program. Stops you having to decant into fridge

I cook the turkey xmas eve afternoon, prep all the veg. Beef in slow cooker overnight.

Only veg, roasties and pigs in blankets / stuffing to cook Xmas day then, easy.

On the day I drain potatoes in colinder,shaking them a bit to get extra surface for crispness.

Put in tray drizzle over goose fat, salt and roast them

Table gets set, right down to the serving spoons etc.
Peel the potatoes, carrots and prep the sprouts.
Gammon going in the slow cooker at 9am.
Turkey in the oven at 12 noon.
Base of the trifle gets made.

Everything! Gravy and cranberry sauce already done + Christmas Eve supper. Veg tomorrow, turkey overnight.

I will parboil roasties and roll in olive oil, butter and chopped sage, cut carrot batons, make cauli cheese, cook turkey, ham and beef. Will make Yorkshire pud batter and bread sauce.

I'm peeling and chopping my swede and carrots and leaving in water ready to make the mash

Ditto potatos peeled ready to roast.

Also going to make my stuffing balls.

Pretty much zilch. It all gets done on Christmas Day. I might soak my ham in water.

I don't take them out of the pan. They are only parboiled so don't go mushy, just soft enough to be fluffy when shaken.

It's only a splash just stops the potatoes going brown, sure there is some science behind it but yes done it for 10 christmas dinners

Got to take pigs on blankets out of freezer, and prep some almonds in dates wrapped in bacon. Then fill some own fill crackers. Mil is par boiling potatoes and cooking a ham for boxing day. So hopefully not too much to do tomorrow

@popcorndiva so you leave them in the warm water they cooked in and just add a bit of milk? Or drain them and then add milk? Or drain, add water and a dash of milk?

Prep myself, a good basting with a nice red 🥳

Yep leave them in the water to cool once water is cooled I splash milk,put lid on and leave

Not much….we are having steak and chips on Christmas Day. Boxing day though we are having turkey breast roast with bacon which was prepped by the butcher, so I will probably will make pumpkin pie to save the bother later. Cranberry sauce is already done

I’ve never prepped beforehand - mostly because I don’t actually know how you then reheat it on the day so it tastes fresh and just cooked? Surely you’re still cooking then? I’d love some advice?!!

We will:

• Peel and chop our spuds and leave them in cold water
• Prepare, but not cook, the pigs in blankets
• Cut up and season the parsnips and leave them in a plastic food bag
• make the Marie Rose sauce for the Prawn cocktail
• Leave an onion in some milk for the bread sauce
• Cut the ends off of the Brussels and remove outer leaves and leave in the fridge

The gammon gets roasted (we eat it cold).
Prep the stuffing and pigs in blankets ready to go in the oven.
Check we have a pudding and how long it takes in the microwave.
Mince pies, cake etc have been done long since.

And, blissfully, DH sorts out the rest.

I love Christmas Eve prep-

Everyone helps and it is such a nice day and totally removes stress for Christmas Day.

peel and cut up potatoes for mash
parboil potatoes for roasties
peel and cut up carrots and parsnips
All stored in ziplock bags in water in cool bag with ice in back garden because fridge can not cope.
Peel and prep sprouts but NO LONGER cut cross in bottom after last years discussion heated debate re the cross with DS-who has convinced me that it is pointless and unnecessary.
I am apparently a dinosaur
Simmer giblets and use the stock to make bread stuffing and save the rest for gravy

We go out for Christmas Eve dinner so we can sort the table for christmas lunch-iron tablecloth and lay christmas table-def make a big deal of dishes, candles and flowers-I love this bit

this is a slightly anal one we get all serving dishes, gravy boat etc and cutlery out and label them so we are prepared on Christmas day and aren't searching for random things we use once a year-judge away but it works

I just find if we all pitch and it means such a nice Christmas day and everyone has helped so they learn to contribute to the meal