Help! Easy main for dinner party of 10 required!

[Holymoly321]

Every year, one of five couples has to host a Christmas dinner for the other four couples. We started doing this years ago before we all had kids and now it's a tradition that we can't break. Anyway, it's our turn to host and neither dh or myself are great cooks, and so am looking for inspiration from all the great cooks here as to what we can cook for 10 guests that a) looks posh and tastes amazing, b) won't cost us a fortune, c) is easy to prepare in our very small open plan kitchen where the guests will see what we're doing! The last time we hosted we did a beef bourginon type thing so can't do that this year. Any ideas? Pleeease!

Jamie Oliver has a great recipe for hunters chicken. I normally add sausages and serve it with new potatoes, garlic bread and either salad or green vegetables. It takes a while in the oven so you cpulc put it in before your guests arrive.

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/hunter-s-chicken-stew-pollo-alla-cacciatora/

This is the recipe.

Some fab ideas here from last week's round on this!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/2771557-Delicious-sophisticated-one-pot-dish-for-10-please?msgid=64758459

Morrocan chicken tagine with cous cous and flatbreads.

Slow roast lamb shredded up with two forks spread onto a large platter. Sprinkle it with loads of mint and parsley and pomegranite seeds for a lovely festive look.

Serve with a pile of mixed roast veg, greek style salad, bowls of spicy tomato sauce or hummus and minty yogurt, and warmed up flatbreads/couscous/pilaf rice.

The lamb is super easy as it just looks after itself, likewise the veg. Salad and herbs just need chopping and sprinkling/stirring and whatever carb you choose warmed up.

Ooooh, I meant to say, as you are going to slow roast it, you don't need a fancy cut like lamb leg. Shoulder or belly does just as well, if anything is more juicy and melting as there is slightly more fat. Ask your counter/butcher what is cheap!

• chicken wrapped in parma ham
• cod with a pesto topping and roasted tomatoes
• sheet of filo pastry topped with tomato paste/onion/cherry tomatoes/mozarella
• chicken with leeks and stir in some creme fraiche and mustard

Saddle of lamb, usually comes beautifully prepared, just stick it in the oven, serve with ratatouille you have made earlier and warmed through on the hob while the lamb is resting/being carved.

Rib of beef, always delicious, keep the veg simple, eg mix of green vegetables peas green beans brocolli cooked together. If you feel the need for potatoes, do dauphinois or prepare mash earlier and microwave while meat is being carved.

Came on to say lamb tagine but actually I'd go with Chickys lamb with pomegranate seeds.
Making your own flatbreads is actually very easy too.

Lemon-roasted chicken pieces (thighs are best for flavour and juiciness ) with red onions, garlic and thyme. It's an absolute doddle to prepare -- just mix together 2 large UNSKINNED thighs per person, more if you like, with 2 -3 red onions cut into wedges, several whole cloves of garlic, with olve oil, the juice of a lemon and chopped fresh thyme (add the lemon hulls too if you like it extra-lemony) and decant into a roasting dish you can serve from. Season to taste. Roast for about an hour in a medium oven, turning the thighs over once or twice to brown them and crisp up the skin. Turn up the heat for the last 10 minutes or so if necessary. It smells amazing when cooking and looks good in the dish. Garnish with extra fresh thyme and serve with fresh lemon quarters to squeeze over. You can serve this with a jazzed up rice dish or potatoes dauphinoise and a green salad.