5 Christmas & NY Centerpieces + EASY Recipes
The crazy holiday season is at a fever pitch and it's time to finalize details and switch from present-mode to cooking-mode. (Of course, if you still need presents it's not too late, you can go here.)
If you aren't sure what you'll have at the center of your table for Christmas or New Year's, we have some suggestions for you; however, we don't have a lot of any of these so while Sunday is the deadline, don't wait too long to claim your favorites!
First, how much do you need?
Typically you should be fine with 8-10 oz per guest; however, if you have a family of lumberjacks, you may want to go at the higher end or even 1 lb per guest (especially if there are few or light side dishes). One HUGE bonus to using nutrient-dense and typically leaner cuts like those from Together Farm's is that people will start to feel fuller faster.
Second, how do you cook it?
We give you recipes or tips below but another bonus is that our meat has flavor so the fewer ingredients the better - let the meat be the star (translation: cooking is pretty straightforward and hands-off!). ⭐
The only thing you really have to worry about, is overcooking - so PLEASE use a meat thermometer and remember to cover and rest the meat about 5-10° degrees before you hit your target. See a chart here.
Disclaimer: the USDA recommends steaks and roasts be cooked to 145°F (medium) and then rested for at least 3 minutes. If there was ever a time to mistrust the government, this could be it. 😂
Lastly, you can feel good knowing your food is truly nourishing those at your table. 💗
Enough talk, let's show you the meat!
The king of roasts, this one needs little introduction - there is a reason it's a weekly high-end specialty item at restaurants! An incredibly flavorful, juicy, and tender cut, a bone-in ribeye roast is both impressive and satisfying. The prime rib roast is a hit among everyone and is sure to please.
We recommend a simple salt, pepper, garlic rub or use your favorite dry rub or seasoning blend and then slow roasting to medium-rare.
If you have time, we recommend brining the roast for at least 1 hour with 4 cups of water & 1 Tbsp sea salt, patting the roast dry and rubbing it with your seasoning mix blended into about 1/4 cup of olive oil and then wrapping the seasoned roast in saran wrap and marinating in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
To cook, heat your oven to 500°, place the unwrapped roast on a rimmed cookie sheet and braise on each side for 10 minutes (in order to get a nice crust on the outside that will seal the juices in - this can also be done on the stovetop if you have a pan large enough but the oven will also heat your house nicely).
Once you are done braising, turn the oven to 180° and cook for 10 minutes per lb of meat for medium rare (130°) and check for your desired donness with a thermometer and be sure to tent and rest before serving!
Prefer leaner & milder flavor or maybe you want to use the grill? The Tenderloin could be the cut for you! It's elegant and perfect for for celebrating with those you love.
A trick if you're roasting the whole tenderloin: fold the thinner end of the loin on top of itself and bind with butcher's twine. This will help create a uniform size for the best results and a succulent, juicy, and delicious experience!
Need a recipe? Try Roast Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce or to really impress your guests with a dish renowned for it's amazing presentation, make Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington!
Personally, lamb is my favorite but admittedly, not everyone loves it. So if you have a family that is a bit more adventurous, this might be the right cut for you! If you want to be extra careful, you could do both a beef cut and a lamb cut to ensure everyone's total happiness. Bonus: save the bone for broth!
To cook you can roast or braise. The most popular cooking method is slow roasting and we recommend this recipe for the leg or shoulder roast (below). You can also adapt those recipes for a slow cooker instead of the oven and free the oven up for sides & desserts!
Lamb Shoulder Roast
See the Leg of Lamb info above!
We have a few 5-6 lb chickens from Amanda's that would be perfect for a smaller gathering or perhaps for the kids table if you are going to do something more adventurous for the adults.
This is also the best option if you blew your budget on gifts because the whole chicken itself is the gift that keeps giving: 1 chicken = 3 meals. First the whole chicken (see recipe below), then leftover cooked chicken in the form of chicken salad and lastly the bones for chicken soup!
Rotisserie Chicken in the Slow Cooker
- 1 whole roasting chicken
- 2 tsp unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika (smoked paprika is even better)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 garlic bulb, sliced in half
- 1 small onion, quartered
Instructions
- Combine spices in a small bowl.
- Rub spice mixture all over the chicken, including the back of the chicken and the sides. Also, be sure to sprinkle some of the seasoning inside the chicken cavity.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with lemon halves, sliced garlic and onions.
- Note: squeeze some of that lemon juice inside the chicken before placing the lemons inside. Also, I don't bother peeling the garlic or onions. I just put them in there as they are.
- Place chicken, breast side down, in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours (or until juices run clear).
- No other liquid needs to be added. The chicken will produce plenty of juices while it is cooking.
- Note: When slow cooking whole chickens, the skin will stay soft. To crisp up the skin, after your chicken is finished cooking, remove most of the juices (don't toss that, it makes for delicious stock!), flip the chicken over so the breast side is up. Be careful, this chicken is SO tender! Turn the broiler to low in your oven. If you have an oven-safe slow cooker insert, you can just put the whole thing under the broiler for about 4-6 minutes (or until golden and crispy.) Keep an eye on it. If you are unsure if your slow cooker insert is oven safe, just take the chicken out of the slow cooker and put it on a sheet pan.
Whole Ham
Note that all of our ham is, unfortunately, sold out.
However, as promised our Stocking Stuffer inventory is growing! We've added more soaps and lip balms.
If you still need some gifts and are already ordering meat anyway, you can quickly and easily get that off your to do list by grabbing one of our Gift Boxes. All boxes include an info card about Together Farms and $5 in Burger Bucks for use at Burger Night! (If you know they can't come to Burger Night, save that for yourself).
Available Gift Boxes:
- Bacon Me Crazy!
- Brat Lovers
- Breakfast of Champions
- BYOB: Build Your Own Burger
- Chop Chop!
- Dad's
- Game Day
- Grandpa's
- Hot Hot Hot!
- I Love Ewe!
- Snack Time!
- The Smokehouse
Or if you want simple, we also have gift cards on our website.
"Lastly" we are now in the LAST ordering window before Christmas. Please plan accordingly!
The deadline to order in time for Christmas is THIS Sunday (12/19) at midnight.
Don't forget that we have a whole holiday storefront specifically designed to help you quickly get all you need to make your holidays a little more local and a little more special. Pick up your meat, broth, honey, lard, and more for your holiday cooking all in one place! 🎄
As always, we are grateful that you are considering Together Farms for on top of your table or for under your tree and are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Steph :)
