Need Xmas meat dish ideas, please!

[atpeace]

I've been assigned to bring a dish under the "meat" category for a holiday pot-luck next week, and am at a loss as to what to make. I don't usually even like meat, but since I'm pregnant, I'm craving all kinds of meats I wouldn't even touch when not pregnant. The rest of the guests are moderate meat-eaters, but DH does not like pork, so I'm thinking of making something with chicken or beef.

Any suggestions? Nothing exotic, since FIL is not very adventurous, and SIL is lactose-intolerant (if there is dairy in any of the suggested meat dishes). Oh, and nobody likes turkey here, so we never make it for Xmas.

Please share your favourite Xmas meat recipes to inspire me!

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Is it going to be the main dish? Or just a meat based side dish? My favorite meat side dish is wrapped asparagus.

Saute asparagus until it starts to brown. Wrap 3-4 pieces of asparagus in your favorite lunch meat (chicken, ham, and turkey all work well). Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 5-10 minutes.

[atpeace]

Mmmm, sounds delish!!! I want to make it now!

Sorry, I should have mentioned that it has to be a main dish (to go with a veggie side dish and a starchy dish someone else is in charge of). The appetizers are being taken care of by someone else, but this asparagus sounds really nice.

[KatWrangler]

Is this just a get to together or Christmas Day dinner?

[atpeace]

Xmas day dinner, but it's not the traditional dinner most families celebrate. I.e. we don't do turkey, and it's for 6 adults and 2 pre-schoolers. And there are no numerous courses, just one appetizer, a meat-veggie-starch entree, and a simple dessert. Each family (DH, DD, and I are one, SIL/BIL/nephew are another, and grandma/grandpa are the third) is bringing a part of the m-v-s entree, plus either drink, dessert, or appetizer.

Last year we did a roast chicken which fed us well (with potatoes and a steamed veggie side), and the year before we did a beef stew (bourguignon) which was also yummy (with rolls and a salad). Both of those sound good, but I want to make something a little different.

[BetsyS]

Well, we have ham, but I guess that's out.

You could do chicken and rice casserole, make it easy on yourself and pick up fried chicken (which is good cold or room temperature, and if you go to Popeye's, is really, really easy ).

Beef stew? Or if you have seen Julie and Julia recently, what about boeuf bourgignon??

Pot roast, meatloaf (homey, but many people love it), baked chicken with barbecue sauce (though that could be messy for a crowd), meatballs in some sort of sauce.

Edited to add: I think my suggestions are too casual for your gathering. I'll keep thinking!!

[BetsyS]

So, I was first thinking it was cooking for a crowd, but for a smaller gathering, this is what we've done the last few years.

Shrimp and grits (my mother makes heavenly grits)

Enchiladas (this year, I had a vegan SIL, so two pans of enchiladas, only one with meat, and all the side dishes were vegan...worked well)

Brunch...we did some sort of fritttata, those heavenly grits (LOL), biscuits, bacon, and fruit

Seafood gumbo (never can go wrong with gumbo). My stepdad served some very precious (hard to come by around here; he gets it via mail order) boudin on the side.

One year, we requested salmon croquettes (our childhood favorite).

And that's as far back as I can remember.

[BedHead]

I would probably do a roast beef of some kind. My favorite way to do a roast is on the BBQ - we have a rub we coat it with, then we add wood shavings in a foil packet for smoke flavoring.

[jocelyndale]

Satsivi? Chicken with a well-spiced walnut sauce. Different, but tasty.

[junipermuse]

I've had great luck doing a tri-tip roast in the oven. I found a santa maria seasoning blend at whole foods, and just shake that on and roast it, first at 475 to form a crust and then after 15 min I reduce the heat to 350 and roast until the internal thermometer reads 115-120 (or even 125) There is always carry over heat that will continue to cook the meat after you take it out of the oven well before it reaches the desired temp and then let it rest slightly covered with foil for about 15 minutes before carving. When I think of christmas dinner I always think of beef.

[JollyGG]

We do prime rib every year. I don't know if you want to spend that much, but it doesn't sound like you have a huge group so it might be doable.

I haven't checked the ingredients in years so I don't know what all's in the marinade but Sam's Club has a pretty decent Prime Rib that you just need to reheat.

We've also done grilled roast before. Just coat the roast in seasonings, wrap in foil and place on the grill. We turn one side only on on low and place the roast on the other side and then let it cook for 2-3 hours (until a meat thermometer says it's done). It's fantastic

[_ktg_]

After reading some of your examples - all I could come up with coq au vin!

Good luck!

[ollyoxenfree]

Since you are in Canada, what about Tourtiere? Traditionally, it's made with ground pork, but you could probably use a veal/beef mixture.

Here's one version:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/me...RTIERE-1252651

The nice thing is you can make a few ahead of time, and just re-heat them in the oven on the day.

I'm not sure what qualifies as exotic, but another idea would be to roast a whole fish - salmon or something similar. Many cultures eat fish for Christmas.

[Owen'nZoe]

I'm veg, but my family often does roast Beef Tenderloin for Christmas. They salt it and sear it, then put on a rub and roast it. I think it is very easy to cook well, because it is so moist to begin with. And it looks impressive once you slice it up to serve it.

I know you said you did beef stew last year, but here is one that is a little different: Khalia http://www.clovegarden.com/recipes/tmm_cowstew1.html.
I use tamarind paste when I make it, because I have no access to sour plums. My guests always love it when I make it, event the ones with less adventurous pallates.