How To Cook A Gourmet Christmas Dinner

Is the family coming over for the holidays and you need to know how to cook a gourmet Christmas dinner? Don't worry, cooking a gourmet Christmas dinner isn’t as hard as you’d think. Follow these simple instructions, and everyone will be begging you for your culinary secrets.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 1 whole turkey, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 sticks of butter at room temperature
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
•  rosemary, sage, and thyme chopped
• 2 potatoes per person, peeled and boiled until soft
• 1 cup of milk
• salt and pepper
• 2 pounds of carrots, peeled
• 2 pounds of parsnips, peeled
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tsp of ground cumin
• 24 oz of fresh cranberries
• 2 cups of apple cider
• 2 cups of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of finely chopped crystallized ginger
• ¼ cup ground cloves
• 4 cups of turkey stock
• ¼ cup flour
• ¼ cup white wine

Kitchen tools needed:

• Potato masher
• Several large cooking spoons
• 1 large roasting pan
• 1 large stock pot
• 1 large sauce pan
• 1 medium sized sauce pan
• 1 cookie sheet
• 1 roll of aluminum foil
• 1 meat thermometer
• 1 chef’s knife
• 1 cutting board
• 2 small mixing bowls
• 2 large mixing bowls
• 1 measuring cup set
• 1 measuring spoon set

1. Cook the turkey. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and let the turkey to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. In a bowl, stir together 1 stick of butter, the chopped spices and the juice of half a lemon and half an orange. Slide your fingers under the skin of the breast and rub the butter mixture under, and on top of the skin. Insert the halved lemon and orange pieces into the cavity and put the turkey on the roasting pan in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then, turn the heat down to 350 degrees and cook for 2 hours. Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh to check if the turkey is fully cooked. The thermometer should read 175 to 180 degrees. Take the turkey out of the oven, cover it with foil, and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.
2. Make perfect potatoes. Place the boiled potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Mash them by hand with your masher, adding a little milk at a time until the potatoes are a fluffy consistency. Add half a stick of butter and mix thoroughly. If you prefer perfectly smoother potatoes, you can use an electric mixer to eliminate lumps. Season with salt and pepper.  
3. Easy fancy carrots. Heat your oven to 450 degrees and cut your carrots and parsnips into 3-inch sticks. Toss the vegetables in two tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle them with 2 tsp of cumin. Lightly salt and pepper the sticks and spread them on your cookie sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, toss, then cook for an additional 15 minutes until tender.  
4. Gingery Cranberry Sauce. In the large saucepan over medium heat, combine your cranberries, apple cider and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until most of your cranberries have popped open. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the ginger and cloves for that gourmet effect. Serve the sauce warm or chilled.  
5. Savory Gravy. Place your roasting plan over low heat on the stovetop, you can use two burners if your pan is large. De-glaze your pan using ¼ cup of white wine. Scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. That’s where all the flavor is. Gradually whisk in the flour and bring the mixture to a simmer. Slowly pour in the turkey stock, whisking constantly, until the gravy is smooth. Simmer an additional 15 minutes to thicken the gravy. Season with salt and pepper.

Now that you know how to cook a gourmet Christmas dinner, all you have to do is serve it. Bring out your best table settings and proudly serve this dinner to friends and family. Don’t be surprised when they invite themselves over for the next holiday meal!