Nailed it. ‘Scuse the DIY pun but yep, that’s Christmas Day completed in chaos and with a great feeling of very full satisfaction! Mr M & I proved to ourselves that a full roast festive dinner can be prepped with only an oven and no hob, and that the big day can be just as much fun when surrounded by plywood and OSB instead of gorgeous decorations and interior fluff. 
Now, don’t get me wrong. I cannot WAIT until next year when I intend to be living in Instagram heaven, but that’ll be a different sense of satisfaction fuelled by the 33 boxes of Xmas decs I have in storage. But Christmas dinner 2016 was one of life’s special one-offs. A challenge between us, a 20lb bird and enough raw veg to feed an army. With no hob, that means a constant flow of roots being microwave steamed before bronzing. That Lakeland steamer I bought at the start of our kitcheless reno has been a godsend.
A reno roast dinner does take longer I’ll admit, however a magnum of prosecco really helps the time to just flash by. Next year will be a doddle after this, it was almost worth trying it out just to make every other year seem so simple. So, don’t be afraid to have a go if you’re mid-reno. It’s not only possible, it can be positively enjoyable!
So how does it go?
- Turkey in. When it comes out to rest, get going with the below…
- Cauli first. Microwave Steam (MWS) for five mins in even size florets, not too small. Cover with cheese sauce in an over proof dish, put to one side. When ready, bake for 40 mins
- Cheese sauce. Cheat. Buy some and add a good vintage cheddar for better flavour.
- Carrots. MWS steam ’til they just start to soften. Pop into a roasting dish. Toss in butter, honey and a sprinkling of brown sugar. When ready, roast for 40mins
- Parsnips. Cut into decent size chunks and MWS for four mins. Allow to steam dry and toss in a little oil. The easy thing is to simply roast then drizzle with honey, slightly more work is to coat in flour & parmesan then roast for about 45mins.
- Brussel Sprouts. Not actually necessary to steam at all. Just take the outer leaves off, slice in half and roast with some olive oil, smoked lardons and garlic for 20-25 mins. Or if you’re on a health kick, steam them and sit in a corner just eating the sprouts and nothing else.
- Potatoes. Cut them to even sizes and microwave steam for about seven minutes. Toss in goose fat and my personal fav, M&S roast potato seasoning, or maybe garlic & thyme. Roast at 200*C for an hour, or until golden brown.
- Stuffing & Pigs In Blankets. Easy peasy, just roast for 30mins in an over tray.
- Gravy. It’s an absolute faff to try and make your own and involves roasting veg & herbs and reducing the stock in hot oven – who needs that in their life eh?! I made some gravy at my dads and then added in the turkey stock once she’d rested for two hours, but you can sack off the guilt and buy some really good quality supermarket gravy and just heat in in a jug.
- Peas – Microwave
But the best tip……
…….don’t hang your paper chains too low 😉
Merry Moregeous Christmas x
