The Best Christmas Eve Dinner Ideas

Top Ideas for Christmas Eve Dinner

1. Baked Sour Cream, Cheddar and Mashed Potatoes

Recipe:

• Step 1. First, you need to peel potatoes and slice each one. Place potatoes in a pan and cover with chicken broth. Simmer about 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are falling apart. Pour off all of the chicken broth.
• Step 2. Then return potatoes back to the heat. Add and let the butter melt where it falls. Use a potato masher and mash the potatoes. Fold in the sour cream and half-and-half. Add ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, chives and mix well. Season with salt & pepper.
• Step 3. Mash the potatoes again until potatoes are smooth. Pour half of the potatoes into the prepared pan and sprinkle with a layer of cheese. Top with remaining potatoes and finish with a final layer of cheddar cheese.
• Step 4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover with foil paper and bake for 20-30 minutes.

2. Honey Mustard Glazed Turkey

Recipe:

• Step 1. Melt butter in a frying pan. Add garlic, leek and pancetta. Cook until soft. Transfer to a bowl. Add the thyme, pine nuts, breadcrumbs, lemon rind, juice and egg. Season and mix well.
• Step 2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Rinse the turkey. Dry with paper towel. Fill the cavity with pancetta stuffing. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place turkey on a pan. Pour 1/2 cup stock into base of pan.
• Step 3. Honey Mustard Glaze. Combine ingredients in a bowl. Stir until smooth.
• Step 4. Brush turkey all over with half the glaze. Cover tightly with baking paper and two layers of greased foil. Roast for 2 hours. Uncover, baste with remaining glaze and roast, uncovered, for a further 1 hour or until cooked through. Transfer turkey to a platter. Cover with foil and set aside for 30 minutes to rest. Remove string. Season with salt & pepper.

3. Jalapeño Poppers

Recipe:

• Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 °C. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with oil spray. Set aside. Combine the following ingredients- cheddar, garlic, granulated onion, the cream cheese, paprika, salt and pepper. Scoop out all the seeds and ribs after halving the peppers lengthwise.
• Step 2. Take 3 shallow bawls. Use the first one and whisk the eggs with the milk and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Mix the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper, in the second one. Finally, in the third bawl, add the flour salt and pepper and mix with a fork.
• Step 3. Start filling and rolling. Then dip in the egg mixture and roll in the bread crumbs. Place on your backing sheet. Spray the tops of Jalapeño and bake them about 15-20 minutes.

4. Homemade Honey - Glazed Ham

Recipe:

• Step 1. Mix ingredients in a covered container. Submerge shanks in the brine and store in the fridge. Brine at least 65 hours. Cook ham at 65 °C for 48 hours or 90 °C for six hours.
• Step 2. When meat has cooked, gently transfer shanks to chill. Preserve the cooking liquid. Cut parallel lines along the length of the ham, using a sharp knife. Create a second set of parallel lines- form diamond shapes.
• Step 3. Use your cooking liquid and put it into a pot and reduce it over medium-high heat. You can be sure that your glaze is ready, when it will coat the back of a spoon without immediately running off.
• Step 4. Drizzle the glaze over the surface of each ham. Roast at 232 °C for about 10–20 minutes.

5. Salad

Recipe:

• Step 1. Thinly slice apples and place them in a bowl. Squeeze the juice of ½ lemons over them. Place chopped garlic and cauliflower florets in a pan. Season with turmeric salt and pepper.
• Step 2. Add butter/water and cook about 5-10 minutes on high heat. Do not overcook! Take a huge bowl. Sprinkle the kale with a pinch of salt and massage for a few minutes, until soft and deeper green.
• Step 3. Mix with red onion slices, green beans, and apple pieces. Place the cauliflower in the middle of salad, and top with hazelnuts and lemon wedges.

6. Stuffed Potato Skins

Recipe:

• Step 1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Prick the spuds with a fork. Season, rub with oil and bake the potatoes for 75 minutes then leave to cool slightly.
• Step 2. Peel, dice the onion, mushrooms and peppers. Mix and fry all three in a hot pan with oil for 3 minutes. Add the smoked paprika and tomato purée and cook for another minute. Set aside.
• Step 3. Slice the ham and mix with the cooked mushrooms. Chop the parsley and coriander.
• Step 4. Mix the vegetables, cream cheese, herbs, mashed potato and cheddar together. Fill the potato skins with the mix and sprinkle the rest of cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

7. Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

Recipe:

• Step 1. Cut in half lengthways the Brussels spouts. Boil salted water. Add the Brussels spouts, blanch them for 3-4 minutes, and then drain well.
• Step 2. Fry the pancetta for a few minutes. Toss in the sprouts and cook for 3 minutes. Add to the pan chopped chestnuts. Squeeze over spouts and chestnuts lemon juice and grate the lemon zest.

8. Spaghetti Carbonara

Recipe:

• Step 1. Put the egg yolks into a bowl and grate in the Parmesan. Season with pepper, then mix well with a fork. Set aside. Cut any hard skin off the pancetta and set aside, then chop the meat.
• Step 2. Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling and salted water. Crush the garlic clove, add it to the pan and leave it for a minute. Stir in the pancetta, then cook for 4 minutes, or until it starts to crisp up.
• Step 3. Pick out and discard the garlic from the pan, then, reserving some of the cooking water, drain and add the spaghetti. Toss well over the heat so it really soaks up all that lovely flavour, then remove the pan from the heat.
• Step 4. Add a splash of the cooking water and toss well. Season with pepper, then pour in the egg mixture. Toss well, adding more cooking water.

9. Swedish Meatballs

Recipe:

• Step 1. Combine all meatball ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with paddle attachment until very smooth.
• Step 2. Form balls and arrange on waxed paper-lined baking tray. Chill 30 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high in a large skillet and fry half the meatballs, turning frequently, until browned. They should not be cooked through at this point. Remove.
• Step 3. Add flour to skillet and whisk to cook until toasted. Whisk in stock until smooth. Add meatballs back to skillet and stir gently to coat in gravy. Simmer 10-15 minutes until thickened and meatballs are cooked through. Turn heat to low and gently stir in cream.

10. Snowball Cookies

Recipe:

• Step 1. Preheat oven to 165 °C. Take a large bowl. Combine flour, almonds, and sugar. Add vanilla, butter and mix with a hand mixer.
• Step 2. Farm balls, place on a backing sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes. Then roll the cookies in confectioner's sugar.