Christmas dinner ideas with a twist!

[ningaj]

I'm cooking Christmas dinner for 8 people this year and am looking for some ideas on how to make it a bit different to the norm.

We'll be having turkey, and one other meat (yet undecided) and also a veggie main.

I would normally do roast potatoes, parsnips, stuffing, sprouts & carrots, p in b's etc but all feels a bit 'samey'

Would love to hear if anyone puts an interesting twist on their meat, potatoes and veg so I can steal it!!!

How do you cook your sprouts? I like them fried up with macadamias and pancetta, or cranberries. Some people do chestnuts.
Bread sauce goes down well.
I do a side of salmon sometimes as well as the turkey as the 'other meat'.
I do find though that doing the basics well works better than a lot of fancy bits that don't quite work, and it's samey because it's traditional and everyone likes it/ hates it just because of that!

We do yorkshires too - everyone loves a Yorkshire

Sprouts with bacon and chestnuts
Carrots with cumin
Parsnips with honey

Sage turkey burgers with cranberry sauce www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/sage-turkey-burgers-with-cranberry-sauce

How about cup a soup? But with a twist?

Sorry I couldn't resist

You've had some awesome suggestions though

Also carrot crush with a nob of stork.

@WTAFisthisnonsense and Maris piper potatoes, par boiled, then roasted in a knob of stalk

I mean nob obviously

I'm usually only cooking for 2 so some years, if I CBA to cook properly, we've just had turkey/stuffing/pigs/cranberry sauce in baguettes/crusty bread. It is always delicious.

That sounds superb!

What about more of a Thanksgiving style meal with all the turkey and trimmings etc but also sweet potato casserole (or candied yams), green bean dish, pumpkin pie etc.

Denise Royle style?!

This would be my ideal!!

Thank you. I like the idea of macadamia or chestnuts in the sprouts. My husband is veggie so have to avoid pancetta sadly!

I also really like the idea of having salmon as my other 'meat'

Don’t mess with the potatoes. There are certain dishes that people just need to have to feel like it is Christmas.

i cook my carrots in ginger beer. Boil it down until it creates a nice glaze. Add a bit of butter and a dash of cayenne pepper.

I've never had them but know you can sprinkle oxo cubes over potatoes as they roast.

We are having roast gammon , marmite potatoes , honeyed parsnips and carrot and swede mash

Can you expand on 'marmite potatoes'?! I'm intrigued!

Nigellas gingerbread stuffing I make every year and it is yummy. Carrots with honey roasted in the oven.

Use orange juice and rind in your stuffing for the turkey. Delicious.

Some years I do carrot and parsnip mash with Christmas dinner. Boil a roughly equal amount of chopped parsnips and carrots with a bay leaf in salted water. When they are very soft, drain, put back in the pan and mash together, adding LOTS of butter, and some salt and pepper. It’s more delicious than the sum of its parts, goes well with turkey, and you can make it the day before and then heat it up so there’s less to do on the day.

I also make braised red cabbage and not only can that be made the day before, but it tastes better if you do that.

One reason I started doing these dishes is to create different textures on the plate, as opposed to most things just being roasted. I think people don’t pay enough attention to having a mix of textures on a Christmas dinner and over the years I have come to realise that’s surprisingly important when you are having a long and sociable meal. Otherwise the meal feels a bit samey, especially towards the end.

We usually have
dauphinoise potatoes,

red cabbage (made in the slow cooker in advance & frozen)

as 2nd meat some lovely beef, done overnight (6-8 hours at 80°C)

Sometimes I do some lovely leek... simply cut into rinse and boil in vegetable stock until tender.
Drain the leek, and keep some of the stock!!
Then make a simple "white sauce" by melting butter, adding 2-3 table spoons of flour then carefully the stock until you have a sauce. Add the leek and season with pepper & nutmeg.

I have ham and red cabbage in addition to turkey and the usual trimmings. I don’t think you can mess with Christmas dinner mostly though. That said, I do shredded Brussels with chestnuts (and pancetta). Can you mix up your starter or dessert? We tend to have a ‘starter’ about lunchtime, then board games, drinks etc. while the main course is on, then eat that around 5pm when it’s dark out and it’s all twinkly inside. Dessert and/or cheese is usually a bit later on.

Interesting. As in, boil them on the hob, or do you put them in the oven. I might try this. Agree on the potatoes!

If I was invited for Christmas dinner ' with a twist,' my heart would sink.
Don't fuck about with it.

I don't think salmon really goes with sprouts and carrots and the trimmings for a Xmas dinner. If you're going to two meats (and tbh I wouldn't bother if there's only 8 people and vegetarians) then I'd do a ham in the slow cooker so it doesn't take up valuable oven space.
Christmas dinner is Christmas dinner though, don't mess with tradition unless you're doing something completely different like curry!