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.

Sorry but if guests want to be hosted in a large jolly group they need to accept their whims and preferences cannot be catered for. It’s one thing to make your adored offspring flipping Yorkshire puddings if there are 6 of you but 18? Not happening.

Consider using some kind of heated plug in tray you can put your oven dishes on or those dish warmers with their own individual trays, I think it used to be called a hostess trolley, my Mum had one.

Secondly @TheaBrandt1 don't step foot in Yorkshire if you believe that you only serve Yorkshire puddings with beef. Of course you have it with the turkey on Christmas Day. There would be a riot in this house if there were no Yorkshire puddings (we live in Yorkshire)

Desist.

Yorkshire puddings go with every roast. Preferably eaten as a starter with gravy then a small one on the side of the roast.

OP in answer to your question, all the potatoes, that's what you need. I think if you get 19 potatoes (the kind you bake) and then cut them up and roast you will have more than enough.

Don't forget the bread sauce 😜

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A full oven of frozen roasties takes much longer than a normal amount! Don’t be caught out! You can take the edge off using a microwave, or letting them defrost a bit beforehand. And use the air fryer etc to cycle them through. They will lose their crunch if they are kept warm too long in a hostess trolley or similar. They are the key bit of the timing, I find.

I’ve done 12 adults before. A starter is really helpful- salmon and prawns or similar, salmon pate and Melba toast- to help with the timing. You can get everything ready except the roasties, then put the potatoes in while you have a starter and do crackers. Serve the main when the potatoes are ready.

As well as roasties done in their own tray(s) we put some potatoes under the meat as it cooks so they cook in the fat and juices (we do chicken). My dad inhales them and will choose them over tray roasties. They're a different vibe but delicious and might pad things out

I do a lot of preparing and cooking in advance and then reheat, to fot everything in the oven. E.g. you can make 3 tray of roasties early and reheat them in one tray before dinner.

I’d say 3 per person is more than enough if you’re having all the trimmings.

You can also cook roast potatoes in the air fryer. Maybe invest in some food warmers to keep it hot as you cook.

If you par roast the potatoes in a hot oven for half an hour before you put the meat in (you can possibly even do this the day before though I've not tried that) they will be even better. You take them out, put the meat in then roast them for a further 20 mins (or until the desired shade of golden brown) when the meat comes out to rest

13 is a quiet Xmas for us so, all the meat is cooked before hand, usually a beef joint, some gammon/ham and a bird of some kind. Sliced cool meats works fine, hot gravy warms it up. Two trays of potatoes sounds about right, we also often have, roast parsnips, mashed swede and carrot, sprouts, sometimes red cabbage, peas, pigs in blankets, cauliflower. We don’t do starters and dessert is 3 different frozen ones from COOK that defrost through the morning with possibly a Xmas pud as well. I should add they’re a large family to begin with so cooking for lots is a default. You just do lots of prep, all the veg can be prepped night before, some meat the evening before too.

You can definitely do roast potatoes in the air fryer!

peel and cut. Microwave in a covered dish for about 6 minutes, no water needed, then toss in some oil and put in the air fryer for about 8 minutes. You might need a bit longer if they’re big. But essentially you can bang out roasties in 20 minutes! And save the oven for the big stuff.

OR, get frozen yorkshires and do those in the air fryer.

Take every shortcut you have available, it’s a celebration not an endurance test!

We have around 20 for Christmas dinner every year. 2 big trays of roast potatoes is enough. We do beef, a gammon and turkey for the weirdos that like it 😂, 2 trays of pigs in blankets, parmesan parsnips, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings, carrots, red cabbage, probably other sides I can’t remember (I don’t do the cooking thank god!!).
With all the rest of the food there are always more than enough potatoes to go round.

200g of raw potato is a reasonable portion for most people, my tiny mother would consider it a huge portion and a hungry teenage lad would probably want more like 300g per person. You can always freeze any that are leftover, it's better to have too many than people fighting over the last spud!

Yorkshire Puddings are The Law here too .

I;ve got the timing down to a T :roast potatoes cooked in the oven then crispied up in the air fryer for a few minutes at the end . The Yorkshire tins heat up with the potatoes , then when they go in, the 15 minute timer starts

I've tried freezing cooked Yorkshire Puddings but I might try freezing the batter in the trays then store them in freezer bags and cook from frozen.

I feel a couple of trial runs is a plan. Though the batter is easy enough to make ahead and leave to settle .

Do this most years, aim for 6 each. Pre cook them and freeze if it makes life easier. I also make my Yorkshire puds earlier and freeze, take them out day before put in fridge then air fry for 5 minutes. Also get one of those buffet warmer tray things, we have 2 and they are life savers.

5/6 roast potatoes per person.

If you have a bbq big enough, do the turkey and ham in there. It leaves the whole oven for roasties and Yorkies.

A turkey cooked over a charcoal Weber has a flavour that is out of this world.

I always plan for leftovers at Christmas dinner but 5/6 roast potatoes seems a lot to me.

There may be some teens or young adult men who'd eat that many, but my mum will have one small one, I'll have 2-3 (because the plates already heaving with other stuff), my dad will probably have the same, DS2 will probably have none!

You wouldn’t need to freeze YP’s - just make day before and put in bags, and heat up for 5 minutes while you are dishing up. Pigs in air fryer - I have a double drawer and can easily do 40.

I have hosted this many (or more!) several times.

I always prepare potatoes in advance. Peel, par boil and shake so the edges are fluffy. Then leave them in a disposable foil tin on the side to cool. I have a large drawer freezer so once cooled the tin gets put straight in the freezer. When they’re frozen they go into a ziplock bag and that’s one tray measured out. They go straight into the hot goose fat and roast beautifully.

Honestly though, if you’re hosting that many a real game changer is to rent a portable oven from a catering company. They come in on wheels and plug into any outlet. Totally takes the stress away.

We often hire one of those heated sideboard things with big silver dishes on the top to keep the veg warm and to serve from.

I agree, I do four. For that, I sacrifice parsnips because hardly anyone likes them (except for me!) I do the meat, stuffing balls and pigs in blankets beforehand and keep them wrapped in foil.

I too have been badly caught out by this at Xmas the first time I froze them!

Yes I do a big dish of cauliflower cheese. You can pre cook it and warm it up just before you serve. My family love it and it suits the vegetarians, the gluten free and the meat eaters.