This holiday season, whether you choose to gather around the dining room table with your extended family in-person or digitally—one thing is for certain—the aromas of an amazing home-cooked meal will bring back a bit of normalcy this year. Since we all have enough to worry about in 2020, we’ve taken the guesswork out of meal-planning with this complete guide of drool-worthy recipes.
1. Chef Gordon Ramsay
Ingredients (Serves 8–10)
1 free-range turkey (ideally Norfolk Black or Bronze), about 5–5.5kg sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 onions, peeled and halved
1 lemon, halved
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally 6 bay leaves
olive oil, to drizzle
8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
Lemon, Parsley & Garlic Butter
375g butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp olive oil
finely grated zest and juice of 2 small lemons
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
small bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Meanwhile, prepare the herb butter. Put the butter into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and mix well. Add the lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic and chopped parsley. Mix well to combine.
Remove the giblets from the turkey cavity. Season the cavity well with salt and pepper, then stuff with the onions, lemon, garlic halves and 2 bay leaves. With your hands, loosen the skin on the breast from both ends of the bird so that you will be able to stuff the flavoured butter underneath it, making sure you keep the skin intact. Repeat with the skin on the legs – from the lower side of the breast feel your way under the skin and out towards the leg, loosening the gap.
Stuff half the butter mix into the opened spaces under the skin. From the outside of the skin, gently massage the butter around the breasts so that the meat is evenly covered. Finally, insert the rest of the bay leaves under the skin of the breasts.
Place the bird in a large roasting tray, breast side up. Spread the rest of the butter all over the skin. Season well with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a little olive oil. (If preparing a day ahead, cover the turkey with foil and refrigerate at this stage.)
Roast the turkey in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven, baste the bird with the pan juices and lay the bacon rashers over the breast to keep it moist. Baste again. Lower the setting to 180°C/Gas 4 and cook for about 2 1⁄2 hours (calculating at 30 minutes per kg), basting occasionally.
To test whether your turkey is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the leg and check that the juices are running clear, rather than pink. As oven temperatures and turkey shapes and sizes vary, it is crucial to check your turkey about 30 minutes before the calculated roasting time. If the juices are pink, roast for another 15 minutes and check again. Repeat as necessary until the turkey is cooked.
Transfer the turkey to a warmed platter and remove the parson’s nose, wings and tips of the drumsticks; reserve these for the gravy. Leave the turkey to rest in a warm place for at least 45 minutes; make the gravy in the meantime. Remove the bay leaves
from under the skin before carving. Serve the turkey with the piping hot gravy, stuffing
and accompaniments.
2. Chef Ryan Rondeno
Ingredients (Serves 10)
2 eggs
1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cups butter, melted
1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cups finely ground cornmeal 1 cups all purpose flour Nonstick baking spray
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, add sugar, salt, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cornmeal. Add eggs, buttermilk, and heavy cream. Whisk until smooth. Fold in melted butter. In a 9×13 pan, spray with baking spray. Pour cornbread batter into pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Once done, brush with melted butter.
3. Chef Bobby Flay
Ingredients for Filling
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the baking dish 3 to 4 large sweet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
Ingredients for Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Special equipment: a 2-quart baking dish
For the sweet potatoes: Add 1 3/4 pounds peeled and cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Mash the
sweet potatoes.
For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Whisk together the butter, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
For the topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a medium bowl until moist and the mixture clumps together. Stir in the pecans. Spread the mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes in an even layer. Bake until mostly set in the center and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.
4. Chef Tae-Ho.A. Roden & Chef Nolan Bellamy
Ingredients (serves 8)
2 1⁄2 lb rack of lamb salt, to taste pepper, to taste olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 1/3 cup of almonds
1/3 cup of cashews
1/3 cup of breadcrumbs
1⁄4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1⁄2 tablespoons fresh rosemary 4 tablespoons dijon mustard
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F
Cut the entire rack of lamb into two parts
Season all sides generously with salt and pepper
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat
Add garlic and 4 table spoons of oil to the skillet
Sear all sides of the lamb until browned, Roughly 3-4 minutes
Once browned, place racks of lamb on a baking sheet.
Remove garlic from pan and add to a food processor with parsley, rosemary, almonds, cashews, and breadcrumbs.
Once all blended and processed together- pour out to a large plate.
Brush rack of lamb with mustard on all sides and then immediately dip into the crusting. Ensure the rack of lamb is evenly coated on all sides.
Place onto the sheet pan and roast for 20-25 minutes
Allow to rest before slicing and serving!
5. Chef Rachael Ray
Ingredients (serves 8)
3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and quartered 3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz.) butter, cut into tbsp
coarse salt
Directions
In a large pot, combine the potatoes and garlic with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to a gentle boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and add the butter to melt.
Drain the potatoes and garlic and return to the pot. Shake the pan over medium heat for 1 minute to dry the potatoes. Put the potatoes and garlic through a food mill or ricer and add the cream mixture along with 1 tsp. salt, stirring until smooth. Spoon into a serving bowl.
6. Chef Tyler Florence
Ingredients
4 cups (1 pound) elbow macaroni
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups milk
1/2 medium onion, stuck with 1 clove 4 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups grated Cheddar, plus 1 cup in big chunks 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until done, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and toss it with 2 tablespoons butter; set aside.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter and set it aside. Put the milk into a saucepan and add the clove studded onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and mustard. Warm over medium low heat until the milk starts to steam, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let the flavors infuse while you make the roux. In a large pot over medium heat add 2 tablespoons butter and the flour. Cook, stirring, for about 2 to 3 minutes; don’t let the roux color. Strain the infused milk onto the roux, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat and add 1/2 the grated Cheddar and 1/2 the Parmesan; stir until it is melted and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Pour this over the macaroni, add the chunks of Cheddar, and mix until well blended; put this into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses evenly over the top. Bake until the top is golden and crusty, about 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Chef Ryan Rondeno
Ingredients (serves 8)
pinch of salt
1/4 c. bourbon (optional)
1 tsp. hazelnut or pecan extract 1 tps. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. pecan halves
1 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
8 tbs. ice water
3/4 c. butter, plus 1/4 cup
4 eggs
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°.
Pie Dough
In a bowl, add flour, powdered sugar, salt, and 1 egg. Mix until the egg is incorporated. Add chilled butter. Mix until butter is the size of peas. Add water. Carefully knead until the dough comes together.
Place dough mixture to a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Transfer to a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Trim crust that overlaps the pie pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
Pecan Pie Filling
In a saucepan, butter, melt butter. In a bowl, whisk sugars and corn syrup. Add 3 eggs, bourbon, vanilla extract, hazelnut extract and salt. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add butter mixture. Whisk until smooth. Remove pie dough from the refrigerator. Add pecans to the bottom of the pie pan. Pour filling into the pie. The pecans will float to the surface. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Insert knife into pie to check for doneness. Once the knife comes out clean, the pie is done.
Once the pie is cool, serve with vanilla ice cream.
Disclaimer: Recipes by famous chefs are available in public domain. Recipes by Chef Ryan Rondeno and Chef Nolan Bellamy have been published with permission.