Turkey? Roast potatoes?

[Maza]

So, do you all have turkey on the big day?

We did as a child, but DH didn't - he wasn't brought up in this country, so slightly different traditional meal. I love it at Christmas, but don't often eat it at other times of the year anymore. I used to buy minced turkey (not at Christmas, lol) and make the mindees turkey Bolognese or Annabel Karmel's turkey meatballs and pasta sauce, which they all loved, even DD who now claims to hate turkey.

As it's only me who will eat it this year I have bought a stuffed turkey breast from Cook. DH cooks a big, delicious ham, so that's the star of the show when it's just us. If his family are over they usually buy a goose and take care of it, which is lovely, but too big and expensive for just us. I am toying with the idea of buying some goose fat for the roast potatoes, but probably wont as I'm sure it will be a rip off. How do you all do your roasties?

[FloraDora]

Very traditional here. It’s the only time we really eat turkey in the year. I think it is all about how it is cooked and often people make it too dry which is why it isn’t liked in modern day I think.
Everything is delia here, she taught me how to cook in 1977 and I stick to her every year. Her original cookbook is in pieces but is still well used, minus the cream! I often see other recipes and think I’ll try it, but when the time comes I always think “ why change something that works?” My timings are written in the book, in pencil, and they have been there since the first Christmas I hosted in 1980, so I just follow that every year. Thankfully DH is a turkey at Christmas fan too.
Roast pots are par boiled and then just roughed up with a shake of the pan. I do vary what I roast them in, I actually quite like dry roast, but I had a duck last week and have kept the fat for the roasts this year, which I will mix with oil.
We have a big ham and salmon on Boxing Day when DH family arrives.
I’m having ham today for Sunday lunch, with Delia’s Cumberland sauce...mmmm.
No meat meals until Christmas Eve now.

[loocyloo]

We have turkey and I usually cook a small ham.

Potatoes are roasted 'raw' ... I don't parboil them at all, also same for parsnips. I usually roast them the day before, and finish them off last minute. This is because I'm cooking in an aha, and it loses heat over time, so when cooking for a long time (although turkey doesn't take that long!) It's easier to cook in advance.

I usually make a bread sauce but only DH eats it, but this year we have a gluten free friend with us for the day, and I don't like to have anything that she can't eat. Only exception is Christmas cake as she doesn't like heavy fruit cake!

[BallyH]

We have turkey and I usually cook a small ham.

Potatoes are roasted 'raw' ... I don't parboil them at all, also same for parsnips. I usually roast them the day before, and finish them off last minute. This is because I'm cooking in an aha, and it loses heat over time, so when cooking for a long time (although turkey doesn't take that long!) It's easier to cook in advance.

I usually make a bread sauce but only DH eats it, but this year we have a gluten free friend with us for the day, and I don't like to have anything that she can't eat. Only exception is Christmas cake as she doesn't like heavy fruit cake!

Loocyloo this is our first year with a gluten free Christmas dinner as my son at Uni took himself off to the doctors and after various tests he was diagnosed with Coeliac disease. I usually buy my bread sauce from M&S and this year there is a gluten free version, thankfully.

[BallyH]

Roast turkey, ham and roast potatoes here and I can't wait.
I usually par boil for 10 minutes, team them then give them a shake in the saucepan, then add them to hot vegetable oil. I then coat with the hot oil and sprinkle salt on. Top shelf in a very hot oven. For 1 hour. During that hour I'll recoat with the hot oil. They are normally crunchy on the outside and fluffy inside. Yum yum. Oh I use Maris Piper potatoes.
The roast potatoes and gravy mashed together is my dh's favourite part.

[FussyElmo]

Turkey here too enough for a week :laughing::laughing:

Roast potatoes done in goose fat par boiled rough up and into the red hot fat.

We also have to have stuffing balls, instead of pig in blankets, recipe that dh's mum found years ago and we have followed the tradition.

I also like pheasant but haven't been able to find any for the last few years.

New year's day we do a ham :thumbsup:

[loocyloo]

Loocyloo this is our first year with a gluten free Christmas dinner as my son at Uni took himself off to the doctors and after various tests he was diagnosed with Coeliac disease. I usually buy my bread sauce from M&S and this year there is a gluten free version, thankfully.

Thank you for that. I shall investigate.

( there is a good website for gluten free called glutenfreecuppatea )

[BallyH]

Thank you for that. I shall investigate.

( there is a good website for gluten free called glutenfreecuppatea )

Thank you I will look at this for ideas over Xmas.

[mama2three]

I’m the only one who really likes turkey so I usually just get a crown. We also have beef and ham for do and dss . DH prefers cheats roast potatoes , parboiled and then deep fried!!! It took me a few years after meeting him not to be appalled ...but then as I’ve got older I think it’s christmas and he should have what he likes. I do put some in the oven for me with sea salt and rosemary though :)

[hectors house]

I was going to buy a turkey crown but my husband came shopping with me and said he likes the dark leg meat, so ended up buying a frozen whole turkey as haven't got time to dash to shops at the last minute hoping to find a fresh whole turkey. I have 11 to cook Xmas dinner for and 19 to feed in the evening - have ordered a hostess hot plate, waiting in today for the delivery.

We love home made bread sauce but our way of doing it is very different from cook book recipes, I just blitz onion in food chopper and saute it in butter, blitz white bread (only time we buy white bread), add it to the onion, add milk and cream and lots of salt and pepper - we like the onion left in and we don't like cloves! One year my daughter decided to make bread sauce for her flat mates for a Christmas eve dinner, she kept trying to phone me to check recipe but I was at a carol service with phone off, so she followed a recipe on-line - it said something like "insert 6 cloves into the onion" - silly girl spent ages trying to get 6 cloves of "garlic" to stay in an onion! :laughing:

Merry Christmas everyone - may your turkey be moist, your potatoes crispy and your bread sauce gluten free if that's what's needed.

xxxx

[Maza]

Oh Hectors House that's hilarious!

I love bread sauce but never bother with it any more because it's only me who likes it. I never had it as a child, don't know why, think we were all just satisfied with pools of gravy. I get so excited when friends or restaurants serve bread sauce though.

[mama2three]

Don’t think I’ve ever had bread sauce , certainly wouldn’t think of it as a part of Xmas dinner.Guess it’s what we had as kids that guides us.

[Dragonfly]

Loocyloo that’s really kind of you saying as you have a gluten free person for the day (coeliac?) you like everything to be free of gluten so they can eat it. That’s very kind. I’m a coeliac (27 yrs on the gf diet)there are so many products now that are gf compared to when I was diagnosed.

Unfortunately people aren’t aware that gluten free and coeliac are quite different sometimes.Coeliacs are careful of crossed contaminated food .A lot of food outlets don’t realise if you fry non gluten food in a fryer/pan then fry gluten free food in same pan it’s no longer gluten free ☹️

[loocyloo]

Loocyloo that’s really kind of you saying as you have a gluten free person for the day (coeliac?) you like everything to be free of gluten so they can eat it. That’s very kind. I’m a coeliac (27 yrs on the gf diet)there are so many products now that are gf compared to when I was diagnosed.

Unfortunately people aren’t aware that gluten free and coeliac are quite different sometimes.Coeliacs are careful of crossed contaminated food .A lot of food outlets don’t realise if you fry non gluten food in a fryer/pan then fry gluten free food in same pan it’s no longer gluten free ☹️

yes, my friend is Coeliac, and I am very aware of 'cross contamination'. Our friend was very ill recently when out for a meal, and it has to have been something that was 'cross contaminated'. I agree there is a lot more GF stuff available now. 'Only' 12 years ago, a friends DD ( at age 6 ) was diagnosed, and there was hardly anything available 'ready made' and GF flour tasted dreadful. 'Modern' GF flour tastes great, and actually, I use it in some of my biscuits as its much lighter.