Lisa's Christmas side dishes
- Side
- Challenging
- 8
- 4 hours
PT4H
Set the perfect festive scene with Lisa Allen's Christmas side dishes including a playful take on pigs in blankets recipe, which will surely delight kids and adults alike at this time of year. Her classic Christmas recipe includes all your essential sides, from Yorkshire pudding to roast potatoes, a creamy cauliflower purée and wintry red cabbage.
Ingredients
Reindeer in blankets
- 9 sausages , beef, pork or lamb
- 9 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
- 1 bunch of rosemary
- 50g of cranberries , or dried
Yorkshire pudding
- 80g of plain flour
- 1 egg
- 80ml of milk
- 60ml of water
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, or beef dripping
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
Roasties
- 6 large Maris piper potatoes
- 150ml of vegetable oil, or duck fat
- 1 pinch of salt
Snow purée
- 1 cauliflower
- 1 onion , finely sliced
- 1000ml of vegetable stock
- 50g of mild cheddar
- 50g of butter
- 2 pinches of salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
Red cabbage
- 1 red cabbage , shredded
- 5 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 100ml of red wine vinegar
- 100g of redcurrant jelly
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Very large serving platter
Method
1
For the red cabbage, add all of the ingredients - except seasoning - to a pan over a low heat
- 1 red cabbage , shredded
- 1 clove
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 100ml of red wine vinegar
- 100g of redcurrant jelly
2
Cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour until tender, checking occasionally
4
For the snow purée, remove the stem from the cauliflower and discard. Cut the head into medium florets and set aside
6
Add the cauliflower florets and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then, add enough stock to cover along with a pinch of salt
- 1000ml of vegetable stock
- 1 pinch of salt
7
Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is tender, approximately 8-12 minutes
8
Strain off the stock and reserve the liquid. Add the cauliflower and onions to a blender and blitz for 2-3 minutes along with a little of the stock until puréed
9
Add the cheese and pulse to combine. Season to taste and pour into a small saucepan, cover with a parchment lid - this will prevent a skin forming - and set aside until required
- 50g of mild cheddar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
10
Preheat the oven to 220˚C/gas mark 8
11
Cut the potatoes into thirds and place into a suitably-sized pot of cold water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the potatoes are just starting to soften
12
Drain and allow the potatoes to steam in a colander for 5 minutes. Then, add a pinch of salt and toss to gently to break up the edges
- 1 pinch of salt
13
Add the duck fat or vegetable oil to a deep roasting tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes until smoking hot
- 150ml of vegetable oil, or duck fat
14
Remove the pan from the oven and carefully place the potatoes in the tray, making sure you don’t splash the hot oil onto your skin
15
Place the tray in the oven for 45 minutes, turning halfway to ensure the potatoes are golden and crispy all over. Once cooked, remove from the tray and keep warm
16
Meanwhile, prepare the Yorkshire pudding 'sleigh'. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre
- 80g of plain flour
17
Break the egg into the well and stir gently with a wooden spoon to incorporate into the flour
- 1 egg
19
Add the dripping or vegetable oil to a 28 x 18cm roasting tray and place into the oven for 10 minutes until very hot
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, or beef dripping
20
Meanwhile, to prepare the reindeer in blankets, wrap 1 slice of bacon around the middle of each sausage. Place onto a baking tray with the ends of the bacon underneath to hold in place
- 9 sausages , beef, pork or lamb
- 9 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
21
Place into the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through
22
At the same time, remove the tray for the sleigh. Pour in the batter and place back into the oven for 25-30 minutes until crispy and puffed up around the edges
23
5 minutes before the Yorkshire pudding is ready, place the potatoes back in the oven and reheat the cabbage and snow purée in separate pans on the stove
24
Once the reindeer in blankets are ready, remove from the oven and pick 9 small tips off the rosemary sprigs to stick in one end of each sausage to make the 'antlers'
- 1 bunch of rosemary
25
Remove the Yorkshire pudding from the oven. Begin to plate up by spreading the snow purée on the base of a large dark serving platter
26
Place the Yorkshire pudding (sleigh) at one end and fill with the red cabbage and roast potatoes
27
Arrange the reindeer in 2 lines of 4 in front of the sleigh and one at the front as Rudolph
28
Lay a cranberry in front of Rudolph to make his nose. Decorate the platter with more rosemary, cranberries and serve with hot gravy
- 50g of cranberries
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Lisa's Christmas side dishes
