Christmas dinner

[fin54]

How prepared can you be on Christmas eve for the dinner the next day, I'm thinking of par boiling the potatoes? and making a carrot and sprout tureen the night before, I've always cooked the turkey the night before and put it into parcels with the ham and stuffing but would really like to be well organised and have very little to do on Christmas day.

Why does nobody answer me :-(

because we're not organised enough

I prep all my veg in advance and freeze them, so all I have to do is pop them in the oven, or steamer. Turkey just gets chucked in the oven when I get up (which determines when lunch will be).

I peel and chop all veg. Parboil potatoes and prep bird/meat. Then all it takes is bunging in oven/boiling etc.

It's really just a big roast so no need to stress over it.

I get the potatoes and sprouts and carrots all peeled, and the turkey stuffed and dressed in the roasting tin ready to just pop in the oven.

Cranberry sauce is made already and in the freezer, along with the sausages in bacon, and I boil the giblets for the gravy on Christmas Eve too.

Then on Christmas Day just need to shove the turkey in the oven, and cook the veg.

There is always plenty of time for sitting about eating chocolate, going over to some friends for drinks etc .

I'm going to make starters the day before and I have made the Xmas pud and a chocolate torte which I have frozen. Was planning to just peel and chop the veg and potatoes the day before and leave then in water, tho might par boil them as you suggested. I will do the turkey on the day and finish the veg and potatoes too. I'm buying ready made stuffing and pigs in blankets so will just need to pop them in the oven on the day.

It's the first time I've done Xmas lunch but I have done plenty of roast dinners so am trying not to get phased by this.

Hi fin54,
It is not clear that what exactly you want to know.First let us clear it so that one can answer you.

Hi fin,

Make all starters and puddings in advance (Xmas pud can be heated/re-heated in microwave)

Make bread sauce in advance and freeze

Make giblet stock day before

Peel and par boil potatoes day before

Prepare but do not cook veg day before

Stuff turkey day before

Make bacon rolls/pigs in blankets day before

Weigh your turkey and work out cooking time.

In the morning of Christmas day, put turkey in oven at the correct time. 30 mins before you are due to take it out, put the potatoes in for one hour

Remove turkey at least 30 mins before carving to let it rest. This should be about the same time as the potatoes are done.

While the turkey is resting, make gravy and boil veg.

It's just cooking a very large chicken!

Alternatively, filter damson gin at about 1am after walking home from church.

Drink damson gin that won't fit in special decanter, usually at least 1/4 pint.

Put turkey in oven at gas mark 1/2 and it will cook overnight, saving a lot of faffing round later in the morning.

My dm swore by this method for years.