Christmas Dinner help

gingernut125

Hi,
I'm cooking Christmas Dinner this Saturday for a group of 10 people, and I have no idea how much food to get, I'm really lost on the main. So my question is, how many kgs/lbs of turkey crown/ham for a group that size?
I'm not pushed on leftovers, I just want to make sure everyone's fed!!
Also advice on where to get the Turkey (they're hard to get the week before Christmas) is also very welcome.

Thanks!

andym1

Hiya ! Sorry I did not see your thread until now. 10 people.
Right Forget the Turkey and get a Turkey Crown. Sometimes they are small so buy 2 about 20 euro for both. Ham Spend about 15/20 euro on the Ham and you will have loads. Veg, 3 potatoes for each person then another 6 spare. A big 2lb bag of carrots, 2lb of sprouts.
If you want to post exactly what else you want to cook I will give you a more detailed shopping list. Above all Relax, You will be grand !

PS Aldi and Lidl are great for the Turkey and Ham and the Veg too, I have never had a problem with Quality either

Posy

I have been told that after I take the turkey out of the oven on Christmas day that I leave it 'rest' for at least half an hour.
Is this right? Does it stay hot enough!?

I plan to do my veg and heat the stuffing in the oven while the turkey's sitting around- anyone here ever roast sprouts? I'm getting 'ready to cook' ones which come in a foil roasting dish, ready for the oven. But I have never heard of anyone doing anything with sprouts before except boiling the life out of them!

This is my first year cooking Christmas dinner, I'm so excited! I've never cooked a turkey or sprouts (or roast potatoes for that matter) before!



Good luck with the cooking tomorrow, OP!!

eternal

gingernut125 wrote: »

Hi,
I'm cooking Christmas Dinner this Saturday for a group of 10 people, and I have no idea how much food to get, I'm really lost on the main. So my question is, how many kgs/lbs of turkey crown/ham for a group that size?
I'm not pushed on leftovers, I just want to make sure everyone's fed!!
Also advice on where to get the Turkey (they're hard to get the week before Christmas) is also very welcome.

Thanks!

Get a big or medium turkey! You may as well splash out. You have to have the obligatory sambos the next day. If you need tips on cooking just pm me.

eternal

Posy wrote: »

I have been told that after I take the turkey out of the oven on Christmas day that I leave it 'rest' for at least half an hour.
Is this right? Does it stay hot enough!?

I plan to do my veg and heat the stuffing in the oven while the turkey's sitting around- anyone here ever roast sprouts? I'm getting 'ready to cook' ones which come in a foil roasting dish, ready for the oven. But I have never heard of anyone doing anything with sprouts before except boiling the life out of them!

This is my first year cooking Christmas dinner, I'm so excited! I've never cooked a turkey or sprouts (or roast potatoes for that matter) before!



Good luck with the cooking tomorrow, OP!!

I tried roasting sprouts and they were horrible, they had a big crunch to them which you may like. I think they are best lightly boiled for a while. Good luck with it! Duck fat is the ultimate fat to use while roasting potatoes, I also got a tip for when after they are pre boiled, just fluff them up a bit and they go all crunchy. Put foil on the turkey while it is resting to stay hot, the juices stay warm inside.

Posy

Yeah, I think I might just stick with boiling the sprouts- roasting them sounds a bit unpleasant really! :pac:

sethasaurus

Get a frozen turkey online from tesco. They're half price until tomorrow (Dec 16).
11.24 for 4kg or 13.99 for a 5kg.

I got the 5kg last year for 6 people and we had lots of leftovers.
They charge about 4.50-5.50 for delivery but you can get a lot of xmas deals you'll need on the day as well.

One tip that works really well is to roast the turkey upside-down on a rack inside the roasting dish. It doesn't overcook the breast meat and you don't need to baste it or fuss around. Just put it in and take it out at the right time. You can look up cooking times for the size of the turkey stuffed/unstuffed.

Mine was perfect last year and it took very little effort. Just flip the bird over for the last half hour to crisp the top, then let it rest for half an hour after taking it out of the oven (take the stuffing out first).

(Make sure it fits in your fridge/freezer, because they're big birds!)

gingernut125

Thanks guys for the tips, we changed the day to tomorrow so haven't needed to do it yet, got two frozen turkey crowns and a ham. The turkeys defrosting now and I'm about to start baking the ham. Anyone have good carrot and brussel sprout reciepes? I'm thinking honey mustard carrots and bacon sprouts. Is there anything much else to add to the turkey apart from butter and salt? It's a turkey crown now ...

P. Breathnach

Herself and I like carrots, so we don't mess with the flavour. I steam them. If they are small enough, I cook them whole, and butter them lightly when serving.

Bacon sprouts: yes. I cut them in half (larger ones in quarters) and saute them in a light oil with lardons.

Turkey crown can be a bit bland. I sprinkle it generously with sage and some black pepper. Rather than butter, I cover a crown with streaky smoked bacon.

Neyite

Posy wrote: »

Yeah, I think I might just stick with boiling the sprouts- roasting them sounds a bit unpleasant really! :pac:

A gorgeous tried and tested sprouts recipe I use from Good Housekeeping:

Herby Buttered Sprouts: Serves 8
Prep time: 10 mins, Cooking time about 10 mins.

900g/ 2lb sprouts. trimmed and peel the dirty leaves etc off
125g/ 4oz unsalted butter (though I've used salted butter too and its also fine)
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons of fresh chopped chives and 4 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add sprouts and cook for 5 min or nearly tender. Drain and plunge into cold water for 5 min then drain again thoroughly.

Melt the butter in a small pan and cook until just starting to turn brown. Add in the vinegar and cook for 2 mins. Stir in herbs.

Heat a large frying pan /wok and stirfry sprouts for 2-3 mins, pour the herb butter over coating the spouts and making sure they are heated through.

***

Soggy sprouts are not pleasant - the recipe above keeps them firm but cooked.

Tabitharose

if you want the easy option with sprouts aldi do some frozen ones that steam in the microwave... they're very nice (am I alone in my love of sprouts?)

P. Breathnach

Tabitharose wrote: »

...(am I alone in my love of sprouts?)

Probably not quite alone. Adding a small pinch of caster sugar when you are cooking them can make them palatable to some people who otherwise dislike them.

lotar

Buy ready prepared meats from one of the big stores - pheasant, goose etc, nothing too large - it should say "suitable for four or six people". Cook according to instructions. Serve with braised red cabbage for colour and roast potatoes and parsnips (Can also buy these ready prepared in large bags). For dessert serve a trifle (either make your own or cheat) or the traditional Christmas pudding with cream.