It is a problem most home cooks face: What to serve for Christmas dinner.
Just one month after the turkey-filled Thanksgiving holiday, and it’s just too soon for another stuffed gobbler. But what do you serve?
“We always have a roasted prime rib with Yorkshire pudding,” said Kim Hurst Hardcastle, 30, of Baltimore.
In fact, choosing an entre other than turkey is a smart move for home cooks, unless turkey is something that they frequently prepare, said Sean C. Riggs, chef at Aida Bistro & Wine Bar.
“Christmas is one of those things that is just steeped in tradition,” Riggs said. “For Christmas dinner we tend to eat what mom made, and mom made what grandma made. But, today, people are being a little more adventurous, and roast beef or pork, goose or duck are all good alternatives for someone willing to set tradition aside.”
A lot of people only cook turkey once a year, he added, and for that reason it probably is not going to be their best dish. Home cooks should fix something that they cook often and therefore do well. And it does not have to go in the oven. If cooking on the grill is a specialty, then cook it on the grill. Riggs cooks a bacon-wrapped turkey on the grill.
“If you wanted to go the beef route, you could do a prime rib,” he said. “I have friends who are doing a pork rib roast. You could also do a ham. There are other alternatives out there.”
Adventurous cooks also might try traditions from other countries such as fish and seafood. Back home, the Louisiana classic Turducken — a boneless chicken wrapped in a boneless duck inside a boneless turkey — would be an interesting choice.
“You could do a different take on the same old process [with a turkey or a roast on the grill] or do something that’s popular around the world but not so much here,” said Riggs, who prepares a seven-fish meal for Christmas Eve at Aida’s.
“Locally, this is still an excellent time of the year for fish and seafood,” he said. “For Marylanders, rockfish season is open, and there are some fresh local fish available of a nice quality. There are all sorts of preparations you can do, like a whole roasted rockfish that offers the same presentation style as a turkey.”
