If you’re having 19 people for Christmas…

[Florally]

How many bags / trays of roast potatoes would you do? 😅

I know it’s September, but just based off a debate with my DH when I was loosely weighing the possibilities of what we need / what we have (chairs etc) to make sure we’re okay to do this.

I was particularly concerned most about oven space and potatoes being a favourite (particularly of my children’s) I wanted to work out if this meal would work and there would be enough for everyone..

Meat we can do in advance, lots of veg I can just pivot to all doing on the hob… thinking maybe I can include microwave and air fryer for some things. But potatoes?! Feel like there has to be enough and they have to be amazing right? (Done in the oven!)

for reference, the 19 is 4 60 plus, 8 30’s and 40’s, 4 teens, 3 under 10’s and one other who basically eats nothing so i’m not counting them in the need for food.

You can cook your Yorkshires in advance. My lot would riot if they weren’t homemade. I cook for 13. I do five roasties each, which evens out. I cook my turkey the evening before. I also do a side of salmon.

As oven space is at a premium my trick is thus firstly i cook the gammon in advance and a leg of lamb in the slow cooker

if you have a air fryer you could probably use it for pigs in blankets and another idea. As for roasties make a bunch of roasties in the oven but also remember you have kids and teens. Some will love a good roastie but a bunch will be happy to scoff potato shapes .So make a bunch of each ,places like iceland and tesco do festive potato shapes closer to Christmas

table space you could do a kids table for the under 10s

yorkshires yeah i don't make them from scratch but as it Christmas i get the special beef dripping ones from the shop

If you know someone with a hostess trolley it's a real boon for large groups. Inherited mine it sits in the conservatory.

I have done pre cooked roasties, cook day before, take out of oven 20 mins before they are cooked. Xmas day take turkey out to rest, put potatoes back in, we like ours very crispy somImcook on high for 30 mins - delicious.

💯 this! And mash and roasties and dare I say it broccoli cheese…..

We regularly cook for 12, we have two ovens, my best advice would be to dedicate one oven to keeping everything warm as you finish it, otherwise you will have a nightmare trying to time everything, pre-cooking some things the day before will help with oven space and faffery on the day.

On the day as I cook stuff, like mash potatos, veg, they get put into their serving pots/trays, covered up and put in the other oven on around 140 (you'd have to do your own test), roast potatoes the same but don't cover as they may go soggy, I regularly have things in there for up to an hour with no issues but you may be able to go longer as long as they aren't continuing to cook. Honestly it makes everything so much easier as your timings don't have to be exact, you aren't rushing at the end and you just pull it all out when you are ready and it's all piping hot!

We put everything in the middle of the table and let people serve themselves, it's quicker that way and less likely to go cold as long as it's just come out of the oven on to warm plates, plus people can choose what they would like.

Make your gravy whenever and put in in a slow cooker to keep it warm, you can keep refilling jugs for the table from it.

Mine like mash. You can air fry roast potatoes, but that’s a lot!

The turkey needs to rest so you’ll have space.

Part boil the potatoes, leave half for mash, and then put them in the oven.

You could do mash and then 2 roasties each.
If one oven can do 10 then 2 ovens can do 19 I imagine but timings and prep will be everything.

I’m cooking for 13 this year. No turkey though, as none of us really like it. I’ll do lamb and beef, both in slow cookers. Yorkshire’s cooked the day before and then popped back in the oven for 5 minutes at the end to heat up. Usually allow 3-4 roasties per person, assuming 1 potato makes 2 roasters, but I also do mash, parsnips and cauliflower cheese, again, largely cooked the day before, then cheese added and oven to heat through/melt. I’ve got a hostess trolley and an additional heated buffet server, so stuff goes in there as it’s cooked whilst the yorkies etc heat through in the oven.

I make roast potatoes in advance and freeze them. Controversially- not peeled. Par boiled, cooked in goose fat or dripping.
Ditto home made Yorkshires and (peeled)roast parsnips.
They all go on the table in a huge pre heated serving bowl maybe 20 minutes before serving, under foil and clean (Christmas) tea towels.
I froze a huge tray of potato gratin a couple of years ago and took that plus all the sides to DMs to heat and serve.
Pigs in blankets and stuffing go in the air fryer.
Its not fancy enough for Christmas, but my kids love roast carrots and roast sprouts with chili flakes. Easy for advance prep though!

2 😲 wash your mouth out 🤣

We have 20 for Christmas. Oven space and timing is crucial, definitely use your air fryer, get an extra shelf per oven but you will need the oven a bit hotter than normal and things will need extra cooking time. If you use throwaway foil trays you can bend the sides down so you can get 2 big trays per shelf! One will sort of sit just on top of the side of the other so you can get both in. We also have a 5 level electric steamer for veg which is great.

2 roasties? My entire family would stage a walk out.

I use my dishwasher to warm all the plates and serving dishes.

Slow cookers are fab for keeping food hot once it's cooked.

Yorkshire puddings go with beef. Mash
is just plain weird with a roast that’s what you serve with sausages for tea on a rainy Tuesday.

I have found the frozen bags of roast potatoes from Waitrose the easiest for a large group.

Firstly, you’re very brave. Secondly, you’re crazy if you believe people here that 4 roasties are enough and Yorkshire puddings are not required. Better for people to take leftovers than everyone feels like a sparrow for the day. 6 roasties each. 2 small yorkshires each.

I would cook the roast potatoes in the air fryer and transfer to the oven in one of those big disposable trays whilst the turkey is resting, pop in the yorkshire puddings at this point too. Part cook the pigs in blankets before hamd and add on top of the potatoes to finish off and save space (or finish them I'm the other oven). I'd then do the roast parsnips in the air fryer

Because they're delicious

Show me the law about Yorkshire pudding...

We have them with any roast dinner. And sausages sometimes too!

...2?

two?

At Christmas dinner??

😱

Just seems quite random items to stick on a Christmas lunch. That’s why hosting a traditional roast is intimidating there are lots of “bits”. Usually with a large group you’d do a stew or lasagne or a buffet type lunch in advance but you can’t with a roast. So adding even more unnecessary moving parts to it seems mad to me.

I agree. And none of this loads of different varieties of anything palaver. Roast potatoes, sprouts, braised red cabbage and maybe another veg and if someone is picky then do the veg they'll eat, pigs in blankets, cranberry, gravy and stop! No one needs to consume a week's worth of calories in one meal.

Pre- cooked red cabbage for that number will take longer than three minutes in the microwave to reheat! I suggest getting together serving dishes now - things that can go in the microwave will be helpful and trawl charity shops so you're not spending a fortune.

Obviously you're running out of time to get the sprouts on now we're into September 😉

"Stabby veg" as I call them could help. Buy the cellophane bags of prepared veg from the supermarket, stab them a few times and then cook for a few minutes in the microwave. This cuts down on prep time, stove top space, steam in the kitchen and washing up.