Top Scottish chefs share their Christmas cooking secrets - including roast potato perfection
Rosalind Erskine asks some top Scottish chefs how to best prepare for cooking Christmas dinner.
If you’re making Christmas dinner for all the family or friends for the first time, it can be a daunting task. But there’s plenty to be done to make the day as stress-free as possible.
Here some of the best chefs in Scotland share their tips, advice and hacks for Christmas dinner, including a fail-safe roast potato recipe (because we all know they are the best bit).
David Smith, head chef at the award-winning Dipping Lugger in Ullapool advised to get ahead with as much as possible. He said: “My festive hacks would be to make most things the day before. For example, have your potatoes pre-boiled, fluffed, and left uncovered in the fridge to get as much moisture out of them. And maybe a controversial thing I do is deep-fry them for an extra-crisp finish.
“Have carrots cooked and halved, ready to roast in a pan and finished with honey. Half and blanch your sprouts in salted boiling water for a minute, then cook them down. When you need them, slowly roast them in a pan with some pancetta lardons.
“An obvious tip, but one many forget, is to make sure you take your turkey out of the fridge at least two to three hours before cooking to get it to room temperature for an even cook.”
Michael Leathley, Head chef Pierhouse Hotel & Seafood restaurant, said: “Christmas is meant to be an easy day, not a hard day, so my number one tip is to buy a proper temperature probe and take the guesswork out of cooking.
“Don't worry too much about exact timings, as people have lots of exciting presents to play with, and everyone can eat dinner whenever it is ready.”
Mark Donald, head chef at the two Michelin Starred Glenturret Lalique restaurant at Hosh, near Crieff, explained how to get the best from your Christmas turkey.
“For the turkey, season and place in the oven at 60C on Christmas eve, leaving it in all night, for around 10-12 hours. On Christmas morning, crank the oven to 220C until the skin is golden. Remove from the oven and let rest, basting the turkey as it cools,” he said.
Chef Theo Creton, head chef at MARA restaurant at Links House Royal Dornoch had this advice for roast potatoes: “Do your roast potatoes the day before and let them dry out in the fridge overnight, it gives you maximum crunch.
“Drying them out helps the starch on the outside set, and all those little dried snags and crags give the oil somewhere to cling to, so they roast beautifully.
“Keeping them in the fridge uncovered also helps them dry out fully, which gives you that perfect contrast: a crisp shell and a fluffy centre. On the day, I finish them in the last 20 minutes of cooking with a knob of butter mixed into the oil. That’s also when I add the herbs so they stay fresh and don’t burn.”
As for cranberry sauce, it’s all about the little added extras. “For my cranberry sauce, I add the zest of clementines and a splash of fresh brandy. It gives it a lovely zing and lifts the whole dish,” he said.
As for stress-free Christmas cooking, he advised to prep, cut and peel all the vegetables the day before. This means that “on the big day itself, I’m mostly just heating things through. It keeps things calm, organised, and it means I can actually enjoy Christmas… ideally with a glass of rum in hand.”
Declan King, head chef at The Clarence in Glasgow, agreed about starting early with the veg. He said: “Get ahead with your vegetable prep by peeling and blanching your potatoes in advance. This can be done a few hours before you plan to roast them, or even the night before. By letting them get cold before roasting, they'll have a crispy exterior and fluffy centre, without being overcooked.”
Lorna McNee, chef-director at Michelin Starred Glasgow restaurant Cail Bruich, explained how important stock is.
She said: “Prep as much as you can in advance so you're not stuck in the kitchen. Have a good, flavourful stock ready for your chosen meat. It makes creating a delicious gravy from the pan juices so much easier. Tray up your meat ahead of time and have it ready to go - and bring it to room temperature for at least an hour before cooking for a more even roast.”
She added that it’s ok not to go with the traditional pudding, saying: “I’ll be honest — I’m not a massive fan of Christmas pudding! There are so many other festive desserts to enjoy.
“I was brought up with Christmas gateau, and I love it. A steamed syrup sponge with a splash of Glayva and a touch of orange for that Christmas flavour is another great choice - serve it with warm custard finished with cinnamon. And if you’re Scottish, there’s no need for pudding at all - get a clootie dumpling in you instead!
“This year, I’m planning to make a tiramisu, but with a Baileys cream folded through the mascarpone mousse — to give it that extra festive jingle.”
Tomás Gormley, chef-owner at Cardinal in Edinburgh and executive chef at The Gilded Saloon, also in the capital, echoed the advice of prepping ahead of time and to stock up on one item, saying: “Do as much prep as you can in advance, including cooking ahead so you can just reheat when you need it. This saves you having to cram everything in a tiny oven at once. And most importantly - however many pigs in blankets you think you need, double it.”
Emily Cuddeford, co-founder of Twelve Triangles in Edinburgh and Melrose and co-author of Kitchen Table: Simple Things Made Well ,added: “If you're roasting a chicken in the lead-up to Christmas, make a stock with the carcass and leftovers, and put this in the freezer. You can then add this to your pan juices on Christmas Day to make your gravy.”
Carina Contini, of Contini Edinburgh, added: “Do less, better. If you’ve not tackled a Christmas celebration before, simply think of it like Sunday lunch with a few bells and tinsel.”
Finally, Bart Stratfold from Timberyard in Edinburgh, shared this useful advice: “The cook decides!”
He added: “You can't please everyone. Decide what you enjoy eating and cook that. I have found that food is far more delicious if the cook truly enjoys eating it. You need to be excited about eating it. My family will chop and change what we cook year by year depending on who is cooking.”
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