Prep- ahead Christmas dinner

[Minihero]

Hi all, looking for ways to prep ahead Christmas dinner for 6.

I have a turkey crown that is ready for the oven and have ordered cranberry, bread sauce and gravy that will just need to be heated. Dessert is already made.
Will assemble pigs in blankets and have stuffing balls all ready to put in the oven. It's just potatoes and veg - can I prep/cook/part cook anything on the 23rd? (We're out all day Christmas Eve).

Thanks!

Yes definitely!!! I've got some big foil trays so I can just pop them in the oven/air fryer to reheat. That's my plan so I'm not on my feet all day

You can prep veg like sprouts, carrots and put them in plastic zip lock bags with a bit of water.

Potatoes I tend to do on the day rather than leaving them sitting for ages in water. There will be a method to do them in advance.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/freeze-ahead-roasties

since trying this a few years ago I always have a stash in the freezer!

I tend to peel spuds the night before and leave in ice cold water.

carrot and parsnip mash - I sometimes buy ready made and carrots steam quickly anyway

I made stuffing using fresh breadcrumbs. Onions and mixed dried herbs - melted real butter and I microwave it - it’s delicious

I cook the gammon the day before and it keeps and sliced lovely but I cook the turkey fresh on the day

Thank you!

They look brilliant bumble - I am absolutely going to do those

I'm wondering if I peel and chop carrots and parsnips on the 23rd they'll be ok to roast on the day? Or will they go manky?

Foil trays is a good shout.

I always cook roast potatoes and other roasted veg ahead. Boil until softish then roast until you can see a skin form - this the starting of the browning process. Pop them in a bag with a little bit of extra oil. It saves lots of time in the oven as by the time they have browned they heat through. Works for any veg. You can do the same with sausages - just oven cook until they start to get a bit of colour then stick in the fridge (I put them in a bag with a bit of maple syrup and whole grain mustard at that point). Most other veg can be cooked until 'al dente' then finished in the microwave in their serving dishes.

For your roast potatoes do you freeze them or can they stay in the fridge? I hate how ling they take on the day so time saving with them would be great but I am particular about their crispy outside!

They'd be fine in the fridge for a couple of days. The freeze fine too. It's basically the same as the preprepared frozen ones in the supermarket but they taste nicer. They crisp up very well either in the oven or, even better, in the air fryer.