Add a new star not just to your Christmas tree but to your festive table! Here are a few suggestions for Christmas dinner centrepieces that will have your family clamouring for seconds.

Roast Lamb

The gaminess of lamb allows it to withstand robust flavours, so feel free to rub a beautiful leg of lamb with jerk seasoning or curry paste and roast to perfection. And, don’t be afraid to ask us to debone your leg of lamb for you to make it quick to cook and easy to carve.

Smoked or Roast Turkey

Smoked turkey doesn’t need to be fussed with, just dress with orange slices, candied sorrel bulbs and sprigs of fresh herbs. Prefer something more traditional? Opt for roast turkey, and no, it doesn’t have to be boring. Impart flavours by brining or coating with a dry rub of your favourite spices. The choice of gravy or sauce is limitless from cranberry to orange-ginger to a gravy redolent with sage and peppercorns; if you can’t decide on just one, do them all!

Roast Beef

Whether you choose tenderloin, rib roast or a topside cut, roast beef can be an exquisite star of your Christmas dinner table. To elevate the cuts to holiday entertaining-worthiness think of encrusting with herbs and serving alongside a rich, creamy sauce, unctuous jus, home-made chutney, or a proper gravy.

Roast Pork

Yes, roast pork can replace its smoked counterpart as the centrepiece of Christmas dinner! Depending on your skill level, you may choose to stuff, roll and truss the loin. For simplicity without reducing the wow factor, you may opt for the tenderloin, or have no holds barred by presenting a whole leg.

Roast Pork Loin with Herb Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 pork loin roast

3 tbsp butter

3 stalk celery

1 small onion

3 garlic cloves

2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 tsp berries

2 tsp cardamom pods

2 tsp whole peppercorns

1 tsp allspice berries

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt

1 cup sugar

Method:

In a medium pot, bring 2 cups water, salt, sugar, juniper, cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaves to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove from heat and stir in 4 cups cold water. Set brining liquid aside and let cool to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes. Place pork loin in a two-gallon resealable plastic bag and carefully pour in cooled brining liquid. Seal and refrigerate, 8 to 12 hours.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter until sizzling. Add celery, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add breadcrumbs, parsley, sage, and thyme, stirring to combine, and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and toss until breadcrumbs have absorbed all of the liquid. Remove stuffing from heat and let cool to room temperature, 30 minutes. (Stuffing can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Preheat oven to 500°F. Remove pork loin from bag and discard brine; pat meat dry with a paper towel. On a work surface, untie pork loin so that it lies flat, fat side down. Spread stuffing mixture atop meat in an even layer. Starting from one of the long sides, roll the pork loin into a tight spiral. Tie at 1 1/2-inch intervals with 12-inch lengths of kitchen twine.

In a roasting pan fitted with a rack, place pork loin fat side up. Roast 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 250°F. Continue to cook for about 1 hour and 35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the pork loin reaches 145°F. Transfer pork loin to a wire rack to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Roast Beef with Tangy Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

For roast & seasoning:

3½ to 4 lbs beef sirloin tip roast

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp prepared horseradish

2 tbsp butter, softened

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

½ tsp dried tarragon leaves

½ tsp ground black pepper

For sauce:

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp finely chopped onion

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup beef broth

½ cup red wine

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp horseradish

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

Method:

For roast & seasoning:

Place roast (fat side up) on a rack in an open shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in centre of thickest part of meat.

Combine and mix roast seasoning ingredients and spread over the surface of the roast with a rubber spatula.

Roast meat in a 325°F oven for about 30 minutes per pound to desired degree of doneness, using thermometer as a final guide: (140°F-rare; 150°F-medium; 160°F-well).

For Sauce:

Remove roast from pan and set aside. Remove any large pieces of charred drippings from pan.

Add butter and onion to roasting pan and cook over burner on low-medium heat stirring to soften and cook onion about 3 minutes.

Add vinegar and scrape bottom of pan to deglaze drippings. Add flour, stirring and cooking for 1-2 minutes. Stir in wine and beef broth. Add mustard, horseradish, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir until sauce comes to a boil and thickens slightly. Remove from heat.

Strain sauce through sieve or strainer. Carve beef and serve with sauce.

Remove roast from oven when thermometer registers 10°F lower than desired doneness and let set for about 15 minutes before carving.

Recipes from: www.countryliving.com & www.challengedairy.com