SOS Christmas dinner in one oven for ten

[Momrage]

Help our numbers have just doubled from five to 10 people to feed on the day.

Turkey crown, gammon and trimmings in one average sized oven with a combi microwave and instant pot. Also have access to a hostess trolley.

Is it doable? I think the main issue are that we prefer to roast our carrots, parsnips, broccoli etc... and everyone expects pigs in blankets and yorkies too.

But I don't see any way we'll get that much veg in with all the rest.

You roast the turkey and then set it aside to rest covered in foil and tea towels while the other veg roasts.

use a ham in coke recipe for the gammon and it then just needs a short time in the oven to glaze or can be done ahead.

You’ll have to cook the bird before every thing else. I would roast the veg and pigs with it.
Then when it’s done take everything out and turn up the heat for the roast potatoes and yorkies.
Reheat the veg and pigs either in the oven just before serving or microwave.

Microwave is your friend.
microwave finest red cabbage, mashed swede, etc all take a few mins each.
yorkshires cooked ahead and can sit for ages.
Roast veg just not doable.

Can you borrow an air frier off anyone? They’re easily transported and if you have a double drawer one, you can do quite a lot in them? Sorry - otherwise, just reheating and cooking things whilst meat rests…
good luck!

Do you have a slow cooker and an air fryer? SC for the gammon and airfryer for the roast potatoes to free up space!

Slow cooker? It’s great for things like red cabbage. As PP has said, turkey rests for at least an hour, wrapped in towels to keep it warm. The potato and parsnips go in then to brown off. You can cook them the day before then recook them on the day, I think.
Sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, carrots with a splash of orange juice and butter, leeks or cauliflower in cheese sauce- all on the hob.
Gravy.

cook the turkey and gammon first and then wrap in foil and leave to rest.
Prep the veg the night before and then you’ll need one shelf for the roast potatoes, a flat baking tray honey roasted carrots and parsnips and cauliflower cheese.
A third shelf for pigs in blankets and get a loaf tin that can fit on the same shelf for sausage meat stuffing.
Red cabbage can be done on the hob along with bread sauce.
Yorkshire puddings can be made in advance and then will only need a 5 minute reheat.
Ive already done mine but if you’ve never made it look up Jamie Oliver’s make ahead Christmas gravy, you can make it now, freeze it and defrost and heat on the hob.

I'd cook the meat the day before. This is what I do now and it frees the oven up for the rest of the stuff on the day.

Loving the fact you have a hostess trolley. How 1981😄

I prefer to do the turkey the day before, because then I can use it's juices to get the gravy made in advance too. It carves easier cold too! Heat your plates, hot gravy over, sorted!

Then your oven on the day can accommodate everything else easily.

I think it’s doable. The turkey and ham will keep warm wrapped up in tin foil and towels while everything else is cooked. As some one above said, if you do something like the ham in coke, it’s mainly on the hob and then finished in the oven for 10/15 minutes. If you can get or borrow an air fryer and a steamer that will also help with things like the pigs n blankets and the veg. If you can’t buy or borrow, try facebook marketplace place.

You genius. There's a flipping giant air fryer somewhere in the house! I'd totally forgotten about it. It's a double so should hold a lot.

Meat will benefit from resting. Turkey can rest nearly as long as it cooks.
Simmer the gammon (I cook mine on Christmas Eve, leave it overnight in the stock) and then finish it off in the oven to set the glaze.
Next do the veg. Parboil first, and dry. Season and add oil or glazes, then finish in the oven. Into the hostess trolley to stay warm.
Finally the roasties- turn the oven up, hot as Hades. You can make the gravy and get going on the carving while they’re cooking.

Then turn off the oven, but leave the pudding in there to warm through.

I have my veg and potatoes parboiled, and in the freezer for convenience so it’s just a matter of sliding things in and out of the oven now.

Can you use the instant pot as a slow cooker? If you can put the gammon in it.

Cook the turkey, and as others have stead keep it warm but let it rest.

Put the roast veg in after that. You Yorkshire puddings can be done last and only take 15 mins. I have also cooked YP in a combi oven but a YP tray probably won't fir, I used foil containers.

Beg borrow or steal a slow cooker and do the red cabbage rhe day before in it (ready to microwave) and then the gammon in it on the morning.

how many shelves in the oven?

Yes it can slow cook.

I've never really rested a turkey before. Probably says a lot about our Christmas dinner 😅 definitely will try this year

Definitely rest your turkey. Cover it in foil and then a couple of tea towels and leave on the side. Will still be piping hot for an hour and more and it will taste better.

Brilliant! We did Christmas dinner for 12 last year with one oven and a double drawer air frier and it was absolutely fine. Bit of shuffling things around, but totally doable.

Definitely rest the turkey for an hour - just be careful not to overcook it before you take it out. Potatoes straight in when the turkey comes out (or do them in your air fryer and use oven for everything else), then work out timings for everything else. Does your instapot also function as an air fryer? pigs in blankets, stuffing balls, root veg can all be done in an air fryer.

Do you have a barbecue? We used ours when we had a similar set up and numbers. I think we roasted vegetables in it (DH’s job, I don’t remember exactly!)

You could do your roast veg by par-boiling and then pan-frying. The years I did this with parsnips were the only times they were ever cooked properly.

I’ve done this a couple of times before kitchen refurb (with 2 ovens and warming drawers that DH still complains are only used at Xmas) with a veggie guest so had their main and trimmings as well!

I cooked in rounds, so meat first, then wrapped in foil and tea towels and put in a cool box to keep warm (oxymoron I know but they’re obviously well insulated).
Then pigs and stuffing with roast potatoes & daupinoise. Pigs and stuffing then came out, wrapped and added to meat in cool box, so carrots & parsips and veggie bits went in.

Microwave for cabbage and plate warming, and sprouts on hob. Didn’t do yorkies but totally agree could’ve done ahead and warmed last.

i had a very carefully timed plan written out but it was honestly all fine.

Do the ham the day before and prep all the veg

use disposable foil trays

Yorkshires can be done ahead of time and frozen or first thing in the morning and just refreshed in the oven for 5 mins

use the Jamie Oliver get ahead gravy recipe