get-ahead christmas tips
get-ahead for the big day!
Cooking at Christmas can be a stressful experience, however, I would advise thinking of it as just another Sunday lunch, possibly on a larger scale depending on the number of guests, which is what it boils down to. Lots can be done up to a few months ahead so, if you have a spare hour or so in October or November and get cracking, on Christmas Day you’ll be very thankful for your foresight, not least because of the reduced washing-up too!
Cook chipolata sausages and bacon rolls and freeze in the (shallow ovenproof) dish in which they are going to be served, up to 2 months ahead. Thaw the night before and reheat for 10-15 minutes in a hot oven until sizzling. They’ll keep warm happily until you need them.
Potatoes for roasting can be par boiled (for 10 minutes precisely!) the day before. Drain and shake in the colander to roughen up their edges, then spread out in a roasting tin with a little oil or fat, ready just to pop into the oven next day. The fat doesn’t need to be hot. Or prepare them as above a month or so in advance and freeze. Thaw before cooking.
Prepare parsnips ahead exactly as for roast potatoes, but only par-boil for two minutes. They too can be frozen.
Stuffings can be made up to 2 months in advance and frozen.
Bread sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated, or frozen for 2-3 months. Thaw the day before. It may need a little more milk stirred in.
Brandy butter lasts for 2-3 weeks in the fridge, or can be frozen for 2-3 months.
Homemade cranberry sauce lasts for 2–3 weeks in the fridge, or can be frozen.
Sprouts can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. I like to halve or quarter them as they cook more evenly and look more appealing and colourful.
When calculating cooking times remember to factor in at least 30 minutes resting time for the turkey before eating, which can happily, and advisedly, be stretched to an hour or more as long as the bird is kept somewhere warm.
Make stock for the gravy from the turkey (or goose) giblets up to two days ahead. Cover them with water, bring up to the boil with a quartered onion, bay leaf and any other suitable flavourings you have to hand and simmer for an hour, before straining and storing in the fridge when cold.
Always short of space, I use the car as an extended fridge, especially for a gargantuan turkey – just make sure there’s nothing sloppy, that no one drives off with the turkey and remember to do your best driving when the car’s in larder mode!
On The Day. Like all poultry and meat, turkey benefits from a long ‘rest’ (an hour or more) once out of the oven, giving the juices time to retreat back into the bird, rendering it tender and juicy. To make quite sure the turkey has stopped ‘cooking’ internally, remove to a cold plate and leave at room temp for 10 - 15 minutes to halt the cooking process (it won’t go cold), then keep somewhere warm - and always with the door ajar if in an oven/hot cupboard/drawer.’ When carved, no juices at all should escape as they will have been reabsorbed.
You can find more get-ahead tips for the big day, as well as lots of delicious get-ahead recipes to enjoy over the festivities, in my book The Get-Ahead Cook.