Ideas for festive dinner party main course

[NigelHarmansNewWife]

I'm after ideas for dinner for 8 on NYE please. I like to do something a bit different, maybe a touch luxurious, but can't do anything spicy hot. Last year I did a fish pie which was salmon and beetroot with a gratin dauphinois topping which was recommended on this board. I don't want to do a roast dinner or a buffet. We have three courses plus cheese. TIA.

Day off today so I'll have a look at the suggested recipes you've linked to. Thank you!

Duck with cherry sauce, you will need two for 8 people as they shrink.

Delia created the recipe, I just simplified it.

Dry the ducks and prick all over with a fork - put in the oven on a roasting rack with a large tray underneath to catch the fat - save it for roast potatoes.

The sauce, half a jar of morello cherry jam and 1/2 a bottle of red wine. Put in a pan and simmer until half has gone.

Serve with any veg you like.

Lamb Daube with mash potatoes and green vegetables.

Do the lamb in the slow cooker- its one of my favourite meals!

Do you have a recipe Christmas?

OP, @3smallpups I like YO’s Chicken Marbella very much, but it is slightly too sweet for some in my crowd. The dates and date syrup are controversial.

OTOH I was living in America in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the original Chicken Marbella by the Silver Palate authors, Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso, was sweeping the country - YO credits them as his inspo. It used prunes and brown sugar instead and did not divide my tribe at all. It is also more compatible with wine, IMO. (I have seen suggestions for dried apricots instead, also, but haven’t tried this version). Just a thought.

I can’t link on my phone but Silver Palate Marbella Chicken is readily available online.

@sashh Thank you for your duck sauce! Can’t wait to try it. Possibly with a splash of red wine vinegar, or is there a sour edge to the cherry jam? Do you recommend a particular brand? TIA

I'd do a casserole, something that can simmer happily unattended.
This year its just the 2 of us, so I think I'll do a chicken stroganoff with steamed rice, or a chicken biryani.

I'm cooking for 8 on NYE too and I've decided after much thought to go for steak.
But I'm upping my sides game.

I'll make my own peppercorn sauce rather than falling back on a packet mix.
Fondant potatoes
Garlic roasted mushrooms and shallots
Roast Tomatoes
And something green but I'm not sure yet- my daughter wants me to try and recreate Miller and Carter lettuce wedge.

Enjoy!
Definitely add the prunes or apricots, use cornflour instead of flour and lamb stock for that rich flavour!

If you have a large slow cooker, you could just make it with 1/2 leg of lamb on the bone- always gives it that bit extra for the sauce!

https://www.slowcookerrecipes.org.uk/lamb-daube.htm

PS: I cut my prunes/ apricots in half ...

This is flippin' delicious

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/pear-roasted-pork-loin-joint/

For me it is the cheapest brand.

I've been known to buy one of those tiny jars like you get in hotels with a single portion and then a glass of wine.