Impressive dinner main course for 8

[Florabella]

It's my turn to cook for friends, and we have done it so often I have completely run out of ideas. The others are amazing cooks and there is always a lot of effort goes in to it. If I can find a main then I can build the rest round it. Looking for something based round red meat.

Any suggestions?

See if you can find any of the recipes from Jamie Oliver’s new book ‘Together’. It’s specifically for people getting together in larger numbers after lockdowns. There’s also a TV series and I bought the book on the back of it.

Beef wellingtons always seem fancy.

But I don't think you can beat a really well-crafted lasagna.

Tartiflette

If you want to base it around red meat, beef rib on the bone carved at the table, dauphinois potato, garlicky green beans, roast carrots and red wine gravy.

Or agree about a really good lasagne.

Thanks. I'll have a look at that Jamie Oliver series. I did a lamb dish with dauphinois last time which went down well. I love a lasagne, but it needs to be fancier for this dinner

Not red meat but a baked side of salmon or whole salmon is easy and makes a great centre piece

Or that fish in a salt baked crust you tap off? Not sure how easy that is though?

Another thought is fillet steaks and get some hood leaf to wrap them in? I think this is an Instagram thing at the moment and I'm not sure how expensive it would work out but you can get gold leaf on Amazon for cooking

The men will never forgive me if I do fish - it's a standing joke. 🤣

Beef wellington
Uber impressive

Osso buco. If you served it with the saffron risotto, I’d be seriously impressed. Personally, I’d go for an easier side.

I've cooked this, it went down very well. Easy to alter quantities.

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pork_tenderloin_stuffed_50738

Duck breasts with a blackberry sauce- slowly cook down blackberries with a dash of chambourd and five spice, with a touch of sugar to take the edge off. Sieve afterwards to get rid of the pips. Right at the end add in any juices from the duck.

Sear the duck so the skin is super crispy and the fat is rendered, then cook in the oven but not for too long as you want them pink.

Serve with green beans and either dauphinois or lyonnaise potatoes. Is divine!

If you have to live down a fish dish and want to expend minimal effort - venison and red wine stew. Use a shit loads of little pickling onions (they are best fried in a separate pan in about 1cm of olive oil). Basically go for rich autumnal gamey flavours. Add game chips, creamed swede and something green.

Ooh- or Pp's suggestion of osso bucco with saffron risotto. Have done it a few times for dinner parties- works quite well as you do all the hard work in advance and just make the risotto at the last minute, plus some green veg (fine green beans and tender stem broccoli for me).

I couldn't get veal shin one time so used pork osso bucco on the butcher's recommendation. Was actually much nicer and half the price!

Nigella has the most glorious lamb tagine with dates in (I think) her Christmas book. It’s massively simple to cook - tastes fantastic abs you can do lots of lovely side dishes

What about this lamb dish from Jamie Oliver's together? Serves 12 rather than 8 thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/slow-roasted-lamb-with-fennel-sage-onion-and-merguez-stuffing/

Or beef fillet with Parma ham if you don’t mind spendiness. There’s a recipe in Jamie Oliver’s first or second book. Dauphinoise pots and green beans

Harissa slow roast lamb shoulder. Layer of very thickly sliced onions on bottom of massive oven tray, lamb shoulder on top that you've massaged with harissa paste. Cook on 220 for 30 mins then turn down to 140 and cook for hours until it's falling off the bone. Shred it at the table, and dish on to plates with some now jammy and spicey onions. Serve with very herby cous cous and shredded carrot salad dresses in pomegranate molasses and yogurt. Or a Green salad with feta. Or flatbread. You get the idea!!!

I’ve done this Gordon Ramsay short rib recipe before it went down extremely well with mash and braised red cabbage

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.gordonramsay.com/gr/recipes/slow-cooked-beef-short-ribs/amp

Go Greek with beef stifado for the main course, a mezze variety for the starter, and baklava for pudding. Bring on the ouzo!

Red bull steaks

pitmasterx.com/energy-drink-marinated-steak/

Chicken breast stuffed with boursin cheese wrapped in Parma ham. Minimal effort but they turn out lovely.

Ooh beef stifado looks fab @AdaColeman !

Asian short ribs topped with a zingy herb salad with mint, parsley and coriander, maybe a little Thai basil, spring onions and finely sliced chillies, served with rice. Yum. Don't forget to reduce the sauce so it's thick and rich and super beefy instead of thin and watery, it makes all the difference!

Tagine is best case scenario for me if I attend a dinner party. A delicious tagine - beautifully soft meat, with flavoursome cous cous / rice. A bright side salad.
Really can't beat it. Yum.