Operation Christmas Dinner

The perfect Christmas dinner is much more than the food, its about the company, the craic and a healthy dose of nostalgia - but it can’t hurt to try and perfect the food anyway…

A Christmas dinner needs to be completed with at a scale no British oven was meant to handle. The mentality should be more akin to Escoffier’s military brigade than a family friendly affair

Operation Yuletide

Christmas Eve

• Butcher bird into spatchcock, or just take off the legs and a crown. Dry brine the bird by salting liberally under the skin and leaving uncovered in the fridge overnight
• Make the Cauliflower cheese and put into the fridge
• Make the base gravy using the trimmings from the bird
• Make the stuffing

Christmas Day

Targeting a 14:00 finish

• 11:00 - peel and cut the potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts and parsnips. Cut roast potatoes into a variety of sizes for heterogeneity and have more diced potatoes for the mashed potato (store in water until later)
• 12:30 - mix together butter, lemon zest, garlic and thyme and place under the skin of the bird. Put into the oven uncovered to brown the skin
• 12:40 - boil roast potatoes and parsnips for 10 mins to gelatinize the outside starch which will then go crispy as it is fried in oil
• 12:45 - put goose fat in oven until smoking
• 12:50 - drain roast potatoes and shake in the colander. Leave to sit for 10 mins to dry out
• 13:00 - take goose fat out of oven and pour some out so that it can be ladled over the top of the fragile potatoes. Add potatoes and return to the oven in the hottest place
• 13:20 - put pigs in blankets and cauliflower cheese into the oven
• 13:25 - boil diced potatoes for mash, about 16 mins but depends on the size of the dice
• 13:30 - check temperature of bird and remove from oven. Aiming for 68C white meat rising to 74C after resting, 90C dark meat. Either carve legs off and leave in the oven, or give them a head start. Wrap in kitchen foil and rest for 30 mins
• 13:30 - Get the gravy on the hob and start warming up. Add in the chicken juices and season with lemon juice/port
• 13:30 - start frying the brussel sprouts on the hob with butter
• 13:45 - warm serving dishes in oven (or soak in hot water and dry)
• 13:45 - open the wine to let it breathe
• 13:50 - Mash the potato and whisk in butter and milk for the right texture
• 13:55 - carve the bird from the crown then slice across the grain and set on serving dish. Separate leg portions and arrange on the plate too
• 14:00 - Serve