By Steven Saunders • Published: 06 Dec 2019 • 13:03
Michele and Steven cooking Chrsitmas dinner at home.
This week Celebrity & Fellow Master Chef Steven Saunders, proprietor of The Little Geranium in La Cala gives us his professional Top Tips for making Christmas Day dinner at home more special and less stressful!
WITH a little pre-planning, the chaos that Christmas can cause in your kitchen, could be the ghost of Christmas past!
There are plenty of elements of your Christmas dinner that can be prepared days, if not weeks, ahead.
We all know that feeling… It’s Christmas Day, but rather than enjoying a glass of cava or catching up with your family, you’re peeling carrots and parsnips, hoping you’ll have time to get the stuffing out of your hair before the guests arrive.
By the time you sit down to Christmas dinner, you’ll be so exhausted you’ll barely have the strength to pull a cracker!
So the trick is to think ahead and prepare some things in advance, take the weight out of trying to do it all on the day so that you can enjoy your friends and family.
Also saving precious oven space on the day will make it a far more pleasant experience! Although I cook all year long I am totally enthusiastic about cooking Christmas Day lunch, such a special day deserves the love and when you cook with love, your food will shine.
So relax, enjoy cooking your special meal and show off your passion.
But help yourself by getting a few things planned or prepared in advance.
In no particular order here are some of my top tips with more essential tips following up over the next few weeks so watch this space!
Steven Saunders’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
Tip 1
How to cook your Turkey
Hailing from Mexico, turkeys were brought to the UK in the 16th century. Henry VIII was credited with being the first British king to enjoy one at Christmas and from there on the trend became a custom.
Many turkeys are sold oven ready nowadays, but if you are buying fresh you will need to do all the messy jobs like get the butter down the skin of the turkey, trim the turkey and cover it with streaky bacon in advance.
You’ll want to get it out of the way on Christmas Eve so that you don’t have to do it on Christmas Day. Tips for the perfect turkey as follows:
Tip 2
The Gravy
You can make a delicious Christmas turkey gravy long before the main event. Simply freeze it in a container, and defrost on the day. You can then add the juices from your Christmas turkey to it just before serving.
For the sauce
1 large carrot washed and chopped
2 onions chopped
2 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
1 leek washed and chopped
1 stick celery chopped
3/4 bay leaves
Small bunch of rosemary or sage
8 black pepper corns
Maldon salt
100g butter
8 chicken wings or 4 chicken legs
3 tbsp plain flour
1 litre turkey or chicken stock
Half bottle of white wine
Tip 3
Perfect Roast Potatoes
I like my potatoes cooked freshly, but you can still get ahead by peeling and chopping them the night before. Keep the potatoes in a water-filled container overnight to stop them browning.
Select good quality roasting potatoes like Maris Piper quality. There are some great options here on the Costa.
Follow Steven on Instagram … saunderschef – Email any questions … steven@thelittlegeranium.com The Little Geranium, Winner of Best Contemporary International Restaurant 2019-Costa Del Sol – www.thelittlegeranium.com
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Steven Saunders FMCGB - The Little Geranium - La Cala de Mijas & Marbella
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.