Traditional Christmas Dinner

• 

  Roast turkey with stuffing

  A whole turkey rubbed with butter and herbs, stuffed (or with stuffing cooked separately) and roasted slowly. Rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.

  The centerpiece

• 

  Roast potatoes in goose or duck fat

  Parboiled, shaken in the colander to rough the edges, then roasted hot in goose or duck fat until deeply golden. The most loved side at the table.

  Non-negotiable

• 

  Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts

  Halved sprouts pan-fried with bacon lardons or pancetta and roasted chestnuts. The fastest way to make a brussels sprout convert.

  Quick side

• 

  Pigs in blankets

  Small pork sausages wrapped in streaky bacon, roasted until crisp. Always make more than you think you need; people will eat them straight from the tray.

  Crowd favorite

• 

  Honey-glazed carrots and parsnips

  Halved lengthwise, tossed in honey, butter, salt and thyme, roasted until caramelized at the edges. Sweet, simple and beautiful on the plate.

  30 minutes

• 

  Christmas pudding with brandy butter

  Steamed dark fruit pudding, traditionally made weeks ahead, served with brandy butter or cream. Often set alight with warm brandy at the table.

  Make ahead

In the United States, the Christmas dinner table looks similar to Thanksgiving in shape but often shifts toward a glazed ham as the main, especially in the Midwest and South. Many homes serve both turkey and ham. The sides lean richer: mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potato casserole with marshmallow or pecan topping, green bean casserole, cornbread or buttermilk biscuits, and cranberry sauce. Dessert is usually pecan pie, pumpkin pie or a fruitcake.

• Italy: Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve (baccalà, calamari, clams, shrimp, anchovies and more), then a lighter roast or pasta on Christmas Day with panettone for dessert.
• Poland: 12 meatless dishes on Christmas Eve (Wigilia) including barszcz with uszka, pierogi, herring and carp, followed by makowiec and sernik.
• Germany: Roast goose with red cabbage and bread or potato dumplings on Christmas Day, with Stollen and Lebkuchen on the side.
• France: Réveillon dinner on Christmas Eve with oysters, foie gras, roast capon or turkey with chestnut stuffing, and bûche de Noël for dessert.
• Scandinavia: Julbord buffet with herring, cured salmon, meatballs, ham, sausages and Janssons frestelse.
• Mexico: Bacalao a la vizcaína, romeritos, pavo al horno, ponche navideño and buñuelos.

For a 2 pm Christmas dinner with a 5 kg turkey:

• 9:00 am: Take turkey out of the fridge, preheat oven.
• 9:30 am: Turkey in the oven. Peel potatoes and parsnips, soak in cold water.
• 11:30 am: Parboil potatoes, prep sprouts and pigs in blankets.
• 12:30 pm: Potatoes in hot fat in the oven. Glaze carrots in a tray.
• 1:00 pm: Turkey out of oven to rest. Pigs in blankets in. Make gravy from the pan drippings.
• 1:30 pm: Sprouts on the hob with bacon. Warm plates.
• 2:00 pm: Carve, serve, sit down.

The day after Christmas is half the point of cooking a large roast. Turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry on white bread. Turkey curry or pie. Bubble and squeak with the vegetables. A clear turkey stock from the carcass for soup between Christmas and New Year. For more food traditions and country-by-country menus, see Christmas food around the world or browse Christmas traditions around the world.