Lazy man's vegetable/starch side dishes for 20 w/ prime rib?

Hi all,

I'm hosting Christmas dinner at my house but I'll admit that as much as I love cooking, Christmas day is one day of the year when I do not want to be stuck in the kitchen. I'd much rather be playing with my kid and helping him 'test out' his gifts.

I'm making a whole, dry-aged, prime rib roast and one of my guests has offered to bring salad. Dessert is also covered, so it really comes down to one or 2 side dishes. I'm feeding about 20 people and ideally, I'd like to serve one additional vegetable side dish and one starchy side dish. I normally make items like a potato gratin, potato kugel, twice-baked potatoes, roasted cauliflower or green beans, corn pudding, creamed spinach, mac & cheese or broccoli casserole but I'd like to make something that I don't normally make.

I'm not opposed to putting some advance effort into it but I'd like to just be able to pop whatever I end up making into the oven on Christmas day and not have to spend a whole lot of time or effort monitoring it. I guess that means I'm looking for "make ahead" suggestions.

Anyone have any "go to" ideas for this particular situation? If so, I'd be greatly appreciative.

Thanks,

=R=

Ronnie,

I suggest a big pan of roasted root veggies. They can be cooked at the same time as the roast.

When I cook for a crowd, I often roast quartered tomatoes, sliced green zuchini, quartered onions, garlic cloves , butter and herbs d' provence. It's simple, colorful tasty and compliments lots of different foods.

Will's suggestion sounds good to me, but if you want potatoes or something that can be done way in advance you might consider double baked potatoes. Up to a couple of weeks in advance I bake the potatoes, make the filling, stuff and then freeze on a sheet pan. Once frozen I toss them in a zip top bag. The day of the event all I need to do is transfer them from the freezer to the oven.

To me, prime rib roast requires yorkshire pudding as a side. Astoundingly easy to make and a great way to use the fat drippings from the roast.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:To me, prime rib roast requires Yorkshire pudding as a side. Astoundingly easy to make and a great way to use the fat drippings from the roast.

Absolutely! Yorkshire pudding is the only civilized choice. Besides, it is very impressive to the uninitiated, and it is easy to make. Another traditional xmas roast accompaniment for my family were pickled crab apples.

Hi,

Yesterday I caught a bit of Good Morning America segment with Emeril cooking his Mom's favorites. One dish was a twice baked potato casserole. It seemed like an excellent side dish for roast beef.

Regards,

I don't know if it is too rustic, but how about mashed Swedes? I like mine finished with some olive oil and chives.

Or, what about sliced, roasted beets dressed in a guajillo vinaigrette?

What about scalloped potatoes with celery root and parsnips?
Or scalloped potatoes with chipotle and smoked cheddar?

Cauliflower gratin with leeks and Gruyere?

Send me a PM if you want these recipes.

--Molly

What about roasted or steamed brussels sprouts, lightly tossed in olive oil, garlic, and pepper seasoning? That's what I had on the side at T-giving (main course = triple decker lasagna) and it was so good. I like the roasted root veggies idea. sweet potatoes, parsnips? Or, what about a combination of roasted sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, jicama, and onion, tossed in a slightly sweet, lemony dressing? Someone made this at a potluck recently and it was so addictive I was tempted to shovel it into my mouth with the serving spoon.

How about some white beans cooked with some country ham or pancetta and a few sprigs of rosemary?

Agree with the root vegetables.

. . . some great suggestions. Please keep them coming. I appreciate all the input.

=R=

Hi Ron,

I like the idea of going with a traditional ratouille which certainly can be made ahead. Then as your starch, how about onions poached in horseradish cream, and then stuffed and baked. To stay in the SW'n French mode--you can make a bread based stuffing with chard, chicken giblets, a little jambon de Bayonne, parsley and shallots--moistened with duck fat and eggs for a little poof. Then baked until crispy on top. You can make everything ahead, and then broil/bake the onions while your roast is resting.

Another idea is a wild rice salad - which combines your veg and starch - and tastes better if made the day before, and just brought to room temperature before serving. Roasted brussel sprouts and califlower, seared mushrooms, carmelized onions, and whatever other wintery vegetables you feel like, tossed with a toasted nut, and maybe a dried fruit--all held together with a sherry vinegar and olive oil and lots of fresh parsley.

-trixie

I'm in the same boat. I'm actually making two starch dishes this year, a savory rice casserole (vegetarian) and a type of scalloped potatoes (Potatoes Au Gratin Dauphinoise). The potato dish is the type you slice on a mandolin, layer with creme fraiche and cover in cream infused with garlic. You can also add and top gruyere in there as well. The rice dish is a brown rice mixture made with vegetable stock, mixed with apples, mushrooms, and walnuts (onion/celery as well). Both will be made the night before and refrigerated to be heated up the next day. The rice dish will need some added stock the next day but that's about it. The potato dish is always better the next day since it has time to set. Good luck.

One of the most felicitous combinations I've had is dry aged prime rib with stone-ground grits finished with black truffles, good olive oil and a little cream. To have a cook-ahead, pop in the oven version, you could do a grits casserole. On the veggie side, I like something bitter to balance out the rich, salty but somewhat bland meat and starch. Sauteed escarole with pancetta and a little broth to finish takes about two minutes. Watercress is great too.

Hi,

Alternatively, you can make excellent grits via the slow cooker. You need a good 12 hours, though it will free you up considerably. There is a thread on grits that covers many methods of preparation.

Regards,

I'd go with the twice baked potato casserole and a spinach gratin. Both can be made ahead of time and just really seem to be perfect with your meat.

Ronnie,

I love mushrooms with just about anything, but especially with red meat. I'd suggest make-ahead caramelized mushroom tarts. I make these the same way I made the tomato tarts you sampled at the LTH picnic: sautee in butter a whole lot of mixed, rough-chopped mushrooms with garlic, thyme, and black pepper. After they're cooked, season with salt.

In a separate skillet, caramelize some finely chopped shallots by cooking over low heat in butter with a little salt and a little sugar for about an hour, until nicely golden and sweet as candy.

Place about 1.5 tablespoons of the mushroom mix in the bottom of muffin tins (more or less depending on the size of your tins), then add a small dollop of the shallots (careful, these become very intense and can overwhelm the dish if you add more than a 1/2 teaspoon or so) and top with puff pastry rounds that fit inside the tins and just about completely cover the mixture. I have a water glass that is the perfect size for cutting the rounds out of the pastry, but it's not so critical to be exact here.

Bake at 400 degrees or until pastry is golden. Remove from oven, place a cookie sheet on top of the muffin pan and and invert, tapping the bottom of the tin to release the tarts. These reheat very well and are also fine served at room temperature.

Kenny

That sounds so yummy! I may have to make those for Christmas...I'm doing prime rib too. Prime rib, mushroom tarts, twice baked potato casserole, creamed spinach....hmm..what else? ..........glazed baby carrots, maybe....and of course I have to have yorkshire pudding!

Maybe some baked or steamed acorn squash?

I have had great luck with cauliflower gratin for the "make the night before" side dish. For this past Thanksgiving I did one and tossed a pound of sauteed chanterelles in with it. Seemed to be a big hit.

Corn pudding is also a very easy thing to make while getting a big meal prepped. Takes about 5-10 minutes to from pantry to dish, and can easily be modified with additions.

Jamie

Roasted root veg is a great idea!

How about a strata/savoury bread pudding? You could put it together the night before or earlier in the day to let the bread soak up the custard. And there are so many ways to flavor it or showcase certain ingredients...mushrooms, greens, peppers, different cheeses, bacon, squash, etc...

One of my favorite do ahead recipes is a gratin of zuchinni or squash from Julia Child's the Way to Cook.

You shred and salt the squash, then let it sit in a colander, catching the juices. Saute some chopped onion/garlic in butter/olive oil and add the squeezed squash to saute a bit longer. Sprinkle with flour and add the squash juices and cream, bringing to a simmer, creating sort of a Mornay in the pan, then adding shredded Gruyere/Parmesan. Can be done a day or two ahead of time. Top with buttered bread crumbs.

I've used this one for many years.

And a really good potato is "Dean Fearing's Custard Potato" which is in the LTH recipe index

Thanks, everyone, for the great ideas. Now, the challenge will be deciding which dishes to make this time around, since there so many excellent suggestions to choose from. I probably won't shop this until Saturday morning, so if you think of any others, please post. I'm very glad I asked about this because this thread will also be a great reference in the future.

I'll be sure to report back; hopefully with a few pictures.

=R=

Good old baked potatoes (rub skin with oil and salt, throw in with the roast, serve with sour cream, chives, bacon bits, etc.)

Roasted redskin potatoes (quarter or halve, toss with olive oil and rosemary, roast along with the meat)

Roasted sweet potatoes (even easier -- just bake till soft -- serve with butter; pass brown sugar for those who like to gild the lily)

Sweet potatoes, flamed with bourbon

Kasha varishkes or pilaf

Barley pilaf

Quinoa pilaf

Couscous

Noodle kugel, sweet or savory

Baked polenta

Roasted Jerusalem artichokes

Roasted parsnips

And ... oh, no, a frozen commercial product!...Tater Tots!

Lots of other ideas in the recipe index.

Ron,

For a simple starch that screams Christmas I suggest kishka, couldn't be easier to prepare and you can buy a tasty version at Romanian or J & M.

Enjoy,
Gary

Romanian Kosher Sausage Co
7200 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60626
773-761-4141

J & M Kosher Meat Market
4465 W. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago , IL 60630
773-794-0303

Uhuummmm, kishke. Don't forget the sabbath is in force @ Romanian. Closes around 1 today (Friday) and closed tomorrow.

Jazzfood wrote:Uhuummmm, kishke. Don't forget the sabbath is in force @ Romanian. Closes around 1 today (Friday) and closed tomorrow.

E & M is another source for kishkie that is probably closer to you and also open on Saturday.

E&M
(Elegance in Meats)
3135 Dundee Rd
Northbrook, IL
(847) 480-6328

Regardless of what you think of Emeril, a Christmas tradition in our household is a full beef tenderloin and a oyster/chanterelle mushroom bread pudding, crusted with about 15 bucks of grated parmesan-reggiano.
The recipe can be found in his Creole Christmas book, but it's a basic recipe of eggs, white bread, mushrooms, thyme, and the cheese.
It's fantastic.
I imagine you could bake it the day before, and then broil it to heat it up on christmas and to brown the cheese, no love lost.

-parker

trixie-pea wrote:I like the idea of going with a traditional ratouille which certainly can be made ahead.

You may have convinced me to make this for a crowd on Monday. Do you have a favorite recipe?