5 Irresistible Christmas Dinner Recipes You Can’t Miss (Your Family Will Beg for Seconds!)
Ho Ho, holiday food lovers! Ready to discover some seriously delicious Christmas dinner ideas that’ll have your whole fam asking for seconds (and thirds)? I’ve put together a list of festive recipes that are sure to make your yuletide gathering extra merry and bright. So grab your apron, and let’s get cooking!
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Christmas Turkey
Table of Contents
- 1 Christmas Turkey
- 2 Rosemary-Garlic Turkey
- 3 Not Your Mother’s Cranberry Sauce
- 4 Cranberry Orange Fennel Sauce
- 5 Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
- 6 Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
- 7 Classic Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots
- 8 Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots
- 9 Trifling Dessert
- 10 Santa’s Gingerbread Trifle
This bird is the star of the show, y’all. Here’s how to make it happen:
Rosemary-Garlic Turkey
Ingredients
- 12-14 pound turkey, defrosted, brined and giblet package and neck removed
- 1 Tbs sea salt/5 lbs of turkey
- 1/2 cup peanut oil
- 2 Tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1 Tbsp Mexican or Greek oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Directions
- Defrost turkey in the refrigerator over 2 days. Remove the giblet package from the front of the turkey and remove the neck from the interior of the bird. Remove any pop up thermometer as well.
- Take the defrosted turkey and rub 3 Tbsp salt all over the skin and place some inside the turkey cavity. Place the turkey In a large plastic bag ( they sell turkey brining bags that are heavy duty for this purpose) and seal. Return to the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- The following day, mix together the peanut oil and spices in a bowl.
- Rinse off any leftover salt and dry the turkey with paper towels. Loosen the skin all over the turkey, starting at the neck region, being careful not to break the skin.
- Apply the oil/spice mixture under the skin and lightly brush any remaining seasoned oil over the skin.
- Place the turkey on a tray and put it uncovered into the fridge( this will produce a crisp skin.)
- On Christmas day, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Remove the turkey from the fridge and place in a disposable oval roaster pan,placing any desired vegetables on the bottom to serve as a rack.(Carrots and potatoes coarsely chopped do a very nice job and soak up the juices)
- Place the turkey on top of the vegetables. Make a tin foil shield of the breast and lay aside. Place in the oven feet first.
- Roast the turkey for 30 minutes at this temperature.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Remove the turkey and place the tin foil breast shield on the turkey and roast for approximately 2 hours, checking at 1:30 minutes with an instant read thermometer for a thigh temp of approximately 155°F if you want a juicy bird.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes as the meat temp will rise to 165°F.
- Carve as desired.
Trust me, this turkey is so good, it might just fly off the plate!
Not Your Mother’s Cranberry Sauce
Forget the canned stuff – this homemade version is where it’s at:
Cranberry Orange Fennel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bag whole cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp fennel or anise seeds
- 2 Tbsp Mandarin Orange liquer
Directions
- Place all the ingredients in a saucepan except for the liquer.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the cranberries burst and the sauce begins to thicken.
- Remove from the stove and stir in the Mandarin Orange Liquer.
- Let cool, then chill before serving.
It’s tangy, it’s sweet, it’s everything you need to cut through those rich holiday flavors.
Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
These spuds are so creamy, they’ll make you weak in the knees:
Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds peeled, cubed Russet, Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes. Starchy ones are the best.
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
- salt, pepper as needed
- sour cream as needed
Directions
- Boil potatoes until tender.
- In a small saucepan heat 1 cup buttermilk with the garlic until steaming.
- Drain the potatoes and add the garlic milk, butter and seasonings.
- Mash until smooth and creamy, adding sour cream as needed to obtain the desired consistency.
I promise these will be the talk of the table!
Classic Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots
The original cream of mushroom soup recipe leaves much to be desired, so here is my revised version of that 50’s favorite with a twist that’ll have everyone fighting for the last scoop:
Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans, as fresh as possible or use frozen.
- 1 can crispy fried onions
- 6 Tbsp flour
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cloves minced garlic
Directions
- Blanch the green beans and set aside or microwave a bag of frozen green beans.
- In a skillet, make a roux by combining the flour, unsalted butter, whole milk and garlic and stir until thickened and no lumps are seen. If the sauce is too thick, add small increments of milk. If too thin add equal parts butter and flour to thicken.
- Combine the sauce with the green beans and top with the fried onion.
- Bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes.
It’s crunchy, it’s creamy, it’s everything you want in a side dish.
Trifling Dessert
End the night on a sweet note with this showstopper that doesn’t use Lady Fingers but Santa’s favorite: Gingerbread.
Santa’s Gingerbread Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 box gingerbread cake mix
- 2 boxes French Vanilla Instant Pudding
- Gingersnaps cookies
- Sweetened whipping cream, or use canned whipping cream labeled as sweetened heavy cream
Directions
- Make the gingerbread cake according to directions but add 1 box of French Vanilla pudding mix. Bake according to directions. Cut into cubes when cooled.
- Whip up the second box of French Vanilla Pudding.
- In your presentation bowl ( clear ones are the best ) layer gingerbread cake cubes, alternating with a layer of French Vanilla Pudding, then gingersnap cookies, then whipping cream.
- Repeat layers one more time, top with crushed gingersnap cookies.
- Chill for 2 hours before serving.
This dessert is so pretty, you might not want to eat it (but you totally should).
There you have it, folks – a Christmas dinner menu that’s sure to impress. These recipes are easy enough for kitchen newbies but tasty enough to satisfy even the pickiest eaters. Now go forth and create some holiday magic in your kitchen. Happy cooking and merry eating!
