Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Eve Dinner

I hosted Christmas Eve dinner this year.   We had Prime Rib, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Roasted Potatoes, Smashed Bourbon Yams, Chocolate Pie & Pecan Pie.



When cooking a large meal I suggest doing all the prep work in the morning.  After having a cup of coffee the first thing I did on Christmas Eve was chop all the vegetables up.   My entire counter space was full of bowls containing chopped veggies, aromatics and spice blends.   I then got out all the pots & pans I would need so that everything was ready.   Dinner was to be served at 6 pm.

At 2 I parboiled the potatoes and sprouts and then set out the Prime Rib to come to room temperature.
At 3:30 I put the roast in the oven.
At 5:30 the roast came out and the potatoes went in & all the veggies were started.  At 6 dinner was ready.

Easy Prime Rib:  I bought a 7 lb rib in roast that was already tied with butcher string at the meat market.  Preheat your oven to 450.  Slice 2 large onions into thick pieces.  Lay them on the bottom of your roasting pan.  Place the roast on top of  the onion.  Cut about a dozen slits in the fat of the roast and shove in slivers of garlic.  Rub the whole roast down with salt & pepper.  Sprinkle your favorite spice blend over the top as well.  I used some savory, aleppo pepper, garlic & onion granules, and some rosemary.   Pour about 1.5 cups of beef stock and 1 cup of good red wine in the bottom of the roasting pan.
Place the roast in the oven at 450 for 20 minutes then turn the heat down to 350 and roast an additional 90 minutes.  This produced a medium rare roast in the center. 
Use a meat thermometer if your not use to cooking large roasts.  120 degrees in the center is medium.  Let your roast rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.



Roasted Potatoes:  I quartered small creamy yellow potatoes.  Par boil the potatoes in salted water first.  This will help keep oven time to a minimum and produce a moister potato.  Liberally coat the parboiled slices in olive oil and spread evenly across a baking sheet.  Sprinkle the potatoes with your favorite spice blend.  I used the following:  salt & pepper, garlic & onion granules, dried parsley, paprika, aleppo pepper, savory and thyme.

Steamed Broccoli:  I steamed my broccoli florets over water that had 1 lemon sliced in half and 2 large bay leaves in it.  This produces a nice flavor.  Season steamed broccoli with a little salt & pepper.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts & Shallots:  Slice the sprouts in 1/2 or quarters depending on their size and par boil.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil.  Add in 3 or 4 thinly sliced shallots and the sprouts.  Stir them around a bit making sure they don't burn, but making sure to let them caramelize to get a nice sweet flavor.  Season with salt & pepper.



Smashed Bourbon Yams:  Peel and chop up the yams.  Steam until tender.  Drain and smash with a fork.  Add one tablespoon of your favorite bourbon, 1 tablespoon of butter, a dash of salt and a little bit of half & half. 

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