What to serve with lamb on Christmas day

[TabbyBeast]

First time having lamb on Christmas day so want it to be a little more special than the usual Sunday roast fare. So! Looking for suggestions for sides that I can buy or are easy to prepare.

But...

DH has allergies. He has serious allergies to peas, sweetcorn, green beans, mange tout; basically anything in a pod.

Any ideas gratefully received!

Back in the mists of time, courgettes were a rarely seen luxury treat, bought from specialty Italian grocers in Soho.

My Mother used to cook them exactly the same way as you do, and on high days and holidays, we would have them as a first course, served with mayonnaise.

How times have changed! But you've brought back some happy childhood memories with your recipe.

@EEdgeK - about 2pm! Be a poppet and bring dessert 😆

I was surprised to only have a couple of lamb naysayers on the thread! I just found turkey such a faff and noone really liked it so decided to cook a meat we don't often have and enjoy it.

Loved reading everyone's tips and thankful for the recipes!

I'm convinced very few people actually like turkey at christmas, it's just part of the ritual and it's the ritual they're attached to.

We've built our own traditions, and turkey is most definitely not part of them!

(at a guess, at least half of people would probably be happiest with half-a-pound of pigs-in-blankets in a basket with a side of roast potatoes, and an alibi sprout)

You're absolutely spot on. 👌

I never cook turkey at Christmas. It's definitely the poor relation of the roast dinner family, for me at least.

Haha! That sounds perfect 👍

Yes, my answer, plus mint sauce.

I don't do turkey, I always do lamb or chicken.

And honestly the same stuff goes on every roast:

Broccoli/cauliflower cheese
Stuffing
Yorkshire puddings
Roast potatoes
Corn
Parsnips
Mashed Swede
Pigs in blanket

Love me a good roast!

We never have turkey - neither me nor DH grew up with turkey as our Christmas meal. DH's family preferred chicken.

In my family, we very rarely had Sunday lunch, so that's what we had on Christmas day. Usually beef, although sometimes pork. Although my DM - who in other ways was a very good cook - always massacred beef. It wasn't until I left home and experienced roast beef cooked pink that I realised I actually like it!

So now we tend to have beef. In previous years, beef fillet - expensive, but there are usually only 4 or 5 of us - and this year we're having beef sirloin, which I will roast, with all the usual accompaniments.

You must do lamb crispies. My mum taught me this, it's basically lamb crackling and amazing! Thinly slice off the skin from the lamb once cooked and pop back in the oven to crisp up. Yummy 😊

My mouth is watering already! 😋

Dauphinois potatoes
red cabbage
roasted carrots
asparagus

and a lovely port and redcurrant gravy if a herb crusted rack if lamb or a red wine and mint gravy with roast lamb

and yorkies
and probably a apricot or cranberry stuffing

Parsley root or celeriac mash.

If you do a gratin, you could either make it mixed potato and apples or purely apples. Same procedure as a plain dauphinoise but a bit lighter.

Georgian grated beetroot salad with walnuts and pomegranates. Can also be made from raw beetroot.
https://allchefrecipes.com/georgian-beet-salad-with-walnuts-and-herbs/

Second all the suggestions for red cabbage. Make sure to add wine, cloves, citrus peel and cinnamon and caramelize the apple slices before adding them at the very end.