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If you cook beef on Christmas...


StaceyinLA
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What sides do you have?

 

This is the first year I'll actually have my OWN Christmas dinner with just my kids/grandkids, and we are starting the tradition of doing a whole beef tenderloin. I don't love turkey enough to do it for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

So far I'm planning spinach madeline, a healthy version of sweet potato crunch (which I froze after Thanksgiving because we never touched the second pan), the tenderloin along with a homemade horseradish sauce like you put on prime rib because I love horseradish). I know the sweet potato crunch doesn't really "go" but we all enjoy it and it's already prepared.

 

What else can I make?

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Depending on the cut, we've done:
Pasta (with pesto or a chili garlic toss)

Pierogi

Salad w/bleu cheese and roasted beets, light vinaigrette

Savory sweet potatoes (Twice baked in the shell, mixed with taleggio cheese and rosemary)

Roasted red potatoes

Asparagus

Green beans (boiled for 5 min, blanched, and tossed in a pan with garlic, olive oil, and a small bit of sea salt to saute for another few minutes)

Polenta

Risotto

 

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I'm in the same place as you, Stacey -- first family Christmas dinner and choosing to do a beef roast w/horseradish sauce. For sides, I'm planning on Yorkshire pudding, scalloped potatoes, some sort of broccoli, maybe creamy pearled onions, and rolls.  Dessert is cheesecake and Christmas cookies. 

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What sides do you have?

 

This is the first year I'll actually have my OWN Christmas dinner with just my kids/grandkids, and we are starting the tradition of doing a whole beef tenderloin. I don't love turkey enough to do it for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

So far I'm planning spinach madeline, a healthy version of sweet potato crunch (which I froze after Thanksgiving because we never touched the second pan), the tenderloin along with a homemade horseradish sauce like you put on prime rib because I love horseradish). I know the sweet potato crunch doesn't really "go" but we all enjoy it and it's already prepared.

 

What else can I make?

OMG, one year I tried making homemade horseradish from a fresh horseradish. I had NO idea that I could cry so much. Never again! Now I just mix jarred horseradish and sour cream.

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We always so the tenderloin too.  I make a rice pilaf (wild rice, brown rice, sauteed onion/minced carrot and celery, pecans) since we had taters with the turkey at Thanksgiving.  Rolls (the kids like the crescent one from the can), broccoli, maybe roasted brussel sprouts if I feel like it.

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Depending on the cut, we've done:

Pasta (with pesto or a chili garlic toss)

Pierogi

Salad w/bleu cheese and roasted beets, light vinaigrette

Savory sweet potatoes (Twice baked in the shell, mixed with taleggio cheese and rosemary)

Roasted red potatoes

Asparagus

Green beans (boiled for 5 min, blanched, and tossed in a pan with garlic, olive oil, and a small bit of sea salt to saute for another few minutes)

Polenta

Risotto

Oh my! The sound of those sweet potatoes!! Please share that recipe!

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Usually Yorkshire pudding, horseradish cream, little potato balls sautéed in butter, and green beans in tarragon cream sauce.

 

PSA

 

Fant'e's in Philadelphia sells English Yorkshire pudding molds. They ship incredibly quickly, so worth thinking about if you are nearby.

This sounds, as might kids might say, AMAZEBALLS!! What are these potato balls you speak of, and the green beans sound awesome!

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Thanks for all the ideas! I love the idea of things I could prepare the day/evening before so there won't be too much cooking involved.

 

My tenderloin is actually going to be served room temp, so I want all the sides to be as hot as possible!

 

I'm using a recipe my mom used to make called 500 degree pot roast to do my tenderloin. The recipe is normally for eye round and you cook the roast at 500 degrees 5 minutes per pound then turn off the oven and keep it closed for 2 hours. The eye round comes out perfectly medium rare, so I expect the tenderloin will as well (and since it's such a good cut, it'll be really tender). I wanted to do this because I can put it on before we open gifts and do the 500 degree part, then just turn off the oven and let it sit while we open presents). I figured I'd just heat/reheat any sides at the very end of the 2 hours.

 

It may wind up being a bust because who really wants cold meat, right? I may have a skillet on the stove with some clarified butter and those who want to can toss their piece of steak in after slicing and give it a quick warm-up.

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This sounds, as might kids might say, AMAZEBALLS!! What are these potato balls you speak of, and the green beans sound awesome!

I'm making it sound fancier than it is. You can use a melon baller to make uniform potatoes, then sauté in butter, similar to what French call Noisette potatoes, only I use a slightly larger melon baller.

 

The beans are a favorite, I think from Julia Child' Mastering Art of French Cooking. Just parboil the beans, refresh in cold water, the simmer beans in heavy cream (I add a pat of butter too) and fresh tarragon, until cream is s reduced and coats the beans. Delicious! (For everyday, I sometimes use a combination of cream and chicken stock, but for Xmas, all cream.)

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Oh my! The sound of those sweet potatoes!! Please share that recipe!

 

It's honestly very easy.  Bake the sweet potatoes ahead of time and let cool.  We do it the day before so we don't have to mess with an extra thing the day of.  Cut in half, scoop out the middle.  Mash, adding chopped fresh rosemary, shredded/chopped Taleggio (or another mild cheese. We've used Fontina in a pinch. I use the whole piece that we buy for 2 sweet potatoes/4 servings), and salt/pepper.  Dh sometimes adds a little bit of vegetable stock if the potato seems too dry, but it doesn't need it most of the time.  Refill the potato skins and top with an extra sprig of rosemary.  Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes, enough to reheat through.

 

Neither dh or I like candied yams but this is something we really do love.  It's an amazing comfort food in the winter. 

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Some variation of hot spiced fruit could work. Its easy to prep ahead of time and heat in a crockpot. The recipe I make calls for canned pears, peaches and apricots with juices drained. Plus orange juice concentrate,raisins, nuts, spices, and nuts.

 

Twice baked potatoes.

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OMG, one year I tried making homemade horseradish from a fresh horseradish. I had NO idea that I could cry so much. Never again! Now I just mix jarred horseradish and sour cream.

 

I am so glad you posted this!  And I saw it.  I wasn't sure how to make homemade horseradish sauce, I just knew that the restaurant I worked at for years added something to sour cream, so I purchased sour cream and then both jarred horseradish and the fresh stuff (a whole 15 cents worth). I was going to try grating the horseradish but now I won't!  LOL.  Thank you!

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