Laurel Reufner
Merry meet and welcome to the first celebration of the new year! What better way to enjoy it than with a hearty and healthy feast. When my test kitchen turned out this meal, we comfortably fed six, who declared it all delicious.
Holiday Roast Beast
Sorry I don’t have a vegetarian option for this meal’s main dish; however, the side dishes are also pretty filling.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 12 hours
Cook time: 1 hour 40 minutes (plus 15 minutes to rest)
Servings: 6–8
1 cup pomegranate juice
3 tablespoons balsamic or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic (approximately)
¼ teaspoon cardamom, ground
¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
¼ teaspoon cumin, ground
2–3 pounds beef roast
In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix together everything but the roast. Place the roast in either a plastic bag or plastic container and pour the marinade over it. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for about 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place your roast in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over it and cover with aluminum foil, place in the oven, and set your timer for 40 minutes. When the timer goes off, flip the roast over in the pan and reset the timer for about an hour. (It needs to cook at least 20 minutes per pound.) Remove from the oven and let the roast rest for a good 15 minutes before slicing.
Place the remaining pan liquids into a skillet, add a couple of tablespoons of flour or cornstarch and make a thin gravy for serving with the meat. I used the pan I fried the bacon in for the roasted Brussels sprouts, adding that undertone of bacon flavor to the gravy.
Sautéed Asparagus with Potatoes
I don’t know where the idea for this dish came from, but it was certainly inspired. And it’s definitely a keeper.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20–25 minutes
Servings: 4–6
1 pound smallish potatoes
1 bunch of asparagus, about 1 pound
Butter, for sautéing
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ lemon
Cut the potatoes into largish chunks and precook in boiling water until just barely done. While they are cooking, snip the asparagus into thirds.
Place the butter in a large saucepan and let it melt. Add the asparagus pieces to the pan and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring around frequently. Add the potatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Give a good squeeze of the lemon over the top of it all, stir well, and allow to cook for another 5 minutes or until the asparagus is firm but cooked through. (When in doubt, pull out a piece and try it.)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
with Cranberries, Bacon, and Pecans
You have my daughter to thank for the bacon in this dish. It certainly adds to the flavor. If you want things to be vegetarian, either leave it out or use soy-based bacon bits.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6
1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
2 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup pecans
Olive oil
Rinse the Brussels sprouts well and then trim the ends before cutting them in half. If they’re really large, cut into quarters. Place in a large bowl and toss in the bacon crumbles, cranberries, and pecans. Drizzle lightly with olive oil to help coat the sprouts, then toss it all gently together to coat with your hands.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the Brussels sprouts on the baking sheet. There should be very little oil left in the bowl. Bake at 425 degrees F for about 40 minutes. Serve hot.
Pfefferneusse Cookies
I’ve got two holiday cookie recipes to finish up the meal for you. These would also be great to make and take to any events. I’ll warn you the pfefferneusse recipe (German for “pepper nut”) makes 30 dozen cookies if they’re properly sized. The cookies are small, though, and the baking goes pretty quickly. If you need to, freeze half the dough and finish baking later. And while the prep work involves a good bit of wait time, they are so worth it. Also, both cookie doughs require extended refrigeration, so be sure to plan your time accordingly.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Chill time: overnight
Bake time: approx. 30 minutes
Servings: 30 dozen
1 cup sugar
½ cup dark corn syrup
½ cup honey
1 cup butter
2 eggs
5 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
½ teaspoon anise seed
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cloves, ground
Fruit juice
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the sugar, corn syrup, honey, and butter over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the butter has melted. Set aside to cool.
While the sugar mixture cools, whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Once the sugars are cool to the touch, stir in one unbeaten egg at a time until blended. Gradually add the liquids to the bowl of dry ingredients, mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap (or use a bowl with a lid on it) and refrigerate overnight.
Now you want to form your dough into thin rolls, about ¼ to ½ inch in diameter. I found making them the length of a cookie sheet made them a good length to work with. Line the sheet with some parchment first so they don’t easily stick. Once you have the sheet full of rolled dough, place it back in the refrigerator for another couple of hours. Any remaining dough should also be refrigerated again as well.
Working with the rolls one at a time, slice them with a sharp knife into rounds about ½ inch thick and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Dab each cookie in the middle with a drop of fruit juice. (I like lemon or orange juice, or maybe apple cider.)
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.
Gingerbread Gods
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chill time: 4 hours
Bake time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1–2 cups
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger, ground
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
¾ cup butter, softened some (DO NOT let it melt!)
1 egg
½ cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until it becomes very fluffy, and then add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla and mix well. Now you want to add the dry ingredients about a cup at a time, scraping the sides of your bowl and making sure it’s all thoroughly mixed together. You want a firm dough when finished.
Shape your dough into a ball and then flatten it down. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate a minimum of four hours.
When you’re ready to start baking, take the dough out of the refrigerator and break the dough into two halves. Put one back in the refrigerator to keep cool.
On a floured surface, roll the dough out until it is about ¼ of an inch thick. Be patient and look at a ruler if need be. Once you have it rolled out, carefully use a gingerbread boy (or girl) cutter to make your cookies. I like to use one that’s about 6 inches tall as it makes a nice big cookie for decorating. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place cookies about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes, watching them closely in those last couple of minutes. You want them to just begin turning brown. Cool on a cookie rack and they can then be sealed in an airtight container for about a week. Makes about 1 dozen large or 2 dozen small cookies.
These cookies are great for family celebrations as you can pull out the decorating icing and candies and let everyone have at! Add holly leaves and solar halos to make your very own little sun gods.