Side Dishes for a Standing Rib Roast and Yorkshire Pud: Feeling uninspired

[SPITFIRE]

I am going completely potty trying to decide the side dishes to go with my roast and yorkshire pudding. You see this is my first time hosting Christmas in my first house. There will be five of us.

My biggest problem is the starches-DH thinks the pud and some rosemary cloverleaf rolls are enough but I think a potato dish of some sort would be better. I did searches for mashed, au gratin and scalloped and I'm totally uninspired by every recipe I've seen. Au gratin potatoes seem to pair better with ham. I will be using MIL's yummy yorkshire pudding recipe so that must stay. Any thoughts--it just seems like too much starch.

For veggies, I will probably do some garlicky green beans, steamed carrots for color, etc.. Maybe a salad with blue cheese and pecans.

Dessert--raspberry white chocolate cheesecake or creme brulee. DH wants the cheesecake but I think it may be too heavy.

Any thoughts? I think I'm becoming obsessive-compulsive over this meal!

[CompassRose]

Do you need rolls and pud? Yorkshire pudding (where has yorkshirepud gone, anyway?) is kind of bread/pancake/popover-like anyhow -- why not axe the rolls, and go with a simple (simple! keep everything possible when hosting at the holiday season simple!) bunch of rosemary-roasted potatoes? Very traditional, too. If anyone likes them, I suppose you could liven it up by doing a roast-vegetable mix, with some parsnips and/or turnips and/or squash, too, which would help with the colour issue.

Your veg sound great to me. If my DH wanted raspberry cheesecake, I would give him raspberry cheesecake (advantage: Can be Made Ahead!). It might be heavy calorically, but it will taste "light and refreshing" with the raspberries. B'sides, yer traditional English rib-and-pud dinner, this time of year, would probably finish with a Figgy Pudding or some such booze-soaked cannonball -- heavy is in keeping with the spirit!

[SPITFIRE]

Thanks CompassRose. I knew someone here would help me rationalize things! DH is the one who wants to axe the potatoes and go with the rosemary rolls and the pud. You helped confirm my thoughts by getting rid of the rolls. The roasted potatoes are a good idea. I think I was getting wrapped up in creating a "wow" type meal while trying to keep it traditional (down to the Christmas crackers I purchased last week for pre-dinner silliness)!

For the standing rib roast, I'm sprinkling it with rosemary, black pepper and kosher salt) and following Barefoot Contessa's cooking directions (high heat (500) then low).

[Catew]

Iam serving: standing rib roast of beef, roasted potatoes, roasted brusells sprouts, glazed carrots, pre-fab brown and serve rolls (f0r the kids), and that's it.

I'm scared to do the high heat thing at the start, because I have a gas oven and no hood. I tried it with my brined t-giving turkey, and ALL the smoke alarms went off. Not fun.

[Kay Henderson]

I am also serving roast beef and I wondered about sides, too. My decision for the main course:

Boneless prime beef
Stuffed mushrooms
Pan-roasted potatoes
Green beans w/ bacon and lemon juice
Rolls

I was also concerned about too much starch, which is why I went with the stuffed mushrooms, a recipe I have made before and enjoyed. It is from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I, page 516.

Champignons Farcis
[Stuffed Mushrooms]

12 fresh mushroom caps 2 to 3 inches in diameter, stems removed
2 to 3 TB melted butter
A shallow, lightly buttered roasting pan
Salt and pepper

3 TB finely minced onions
2 TB butter
1 TB oil
3 TB minced shallots or green onions
Stems from the mushroom caps, finely minced and squeezed in a towel to extract their juice
Optional 1/4 cup Madeira

3 TB fine, white, dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 TB minced parsley
1/2 tsp tarragon
Salt and pepper
2 to 3 TB whipping cream

3 TB grated Swiss cheese
2 TB melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush the mushroom caps with melted butter. Place them, hollow-side up, in the roasting pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Saute the onions in butter and oil for 3 to 4 minutes without browning. Then add the shallots or green onions and mushroom stems. Saute.

Add the optional Madeira and boil it down rapidly until it has almost entirely evaporated.

Off heat, mix in the bread crumbs, cheeses, parsley, tarragon, and seasonings. A spoonful at a time, blend in just enough cream to moisten the mixture but keep it sufficiently stiff to hold its shape in a spoon. Correct seasoning.

Fill the mushroom caps with the stuffing. Topo each with a pinch of cheese and drops of melted butter. (*) May be done ahead to this point.

Bake in upper third of a preheated, 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until caps are tender and stuffing has browned lightly on top.

Kay

[SPITFIRE]

It seems as if we are in the majority with the roasted potatoes. Kay--the stuffed mushrooms sound divine!

BTW, how is everyone else cooking their Christmas beast? Also, to what temp? I was reading Ina's directions and she said to cook to 125 which seems very low. I would like it pink but not bleeding.