Need to prepare some of your Christmas dishes ahead of time so that you have more time to spend with your family when the day arrives? Here are three dishes you can easily prepare ahead of time:
1. Golden Roasted Potatoes
One of the worst things in the world can be spending Christmas morning peeling tons of potatoes. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about this with this easy three-ingredient recipe, as these roasted potatoes can be made ahead and frozen until they’re ready to be enjoyed. Moreover there are many health benefits of baked potatoes.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds of potatoes
- 5 tablespoons of sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
Peel the potatoes and cut them into halves or quarters, depending on their size.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add in a touch of salt and add the potatoes.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Drain and place potatoes back into the pan. Sprinkle in the flour.
Place a lid on top, pick up the pan and shake it a bit.
Allow potatoes to cool and freeze for up to one month.
When ready to prepare, spoon the sunflower oil onto a large baking tray and place into the oven for five minutes. Pull out the tray and add the potatoes.
Roast for roughly 30-40 minutes on 350 F. Increase the oven temperature to 400 F, flip the potatoes and roast for 30 more minutes.
Cook until golden and crisp.
2. Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine
If canned cranberry sauce is not your thing, or you just want to give the real stuff a try this year, this make-ahead cranberry sauce with red wine is the perfect go-to recipe. It can be frozen for up to seven days before Christmas.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. of frozen or fresh cranberries
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 2 cloves
- ½ cup of sugar
- 14 ounces red wine
Instructions
Place the wine, cloves, sugar, cinnamon stick and star anise into a shallow, large pan.
Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half.
Add cranberries and continue to cook for roughly five minutes, or until the cranberries burst and create jam-like texture.
Remove from the stove and allow to cool. Remove the cloves, anise and cinnamon stick. Freeze or refrigerate for up to one week.
3. Cherry Cordial Pie
This frozen Christmas dessert is one-of-a-kind and is extremely easy to make.
Ingredients
- ½ gallon of softened vanilla ice cream
- 10 ounces of drained and chopped maraschino cherries
- 1 cup of miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup of coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
Spoon the mixture into a 10-inch, non-stick, springform pan.
Cover and freeze.
To deserve, unmold and slice. You can even serve each slice with whipped cream, chopped pecans, a whole cherry, chocolate liqueur or crème de cacao.