The Best Crowd-Pleasing Main Dishes To Feed A Group Holiday 2014
10 meaty mains to wow holiday guests
This holiday season, when it comes to whipping up main dishes, it's go big or go home. We're thinking of recipes that not only feed a crowd, but make 'em say, "Wow!"
We've got you covered with stunning dishes to serve at your next get-together, whether you're staying classic with a fantastic roast chicken or going for the gusto with a showy, Italian-style pork shoulder.
Q: Who doesn't love a good pork shoulder braised in milk Italian-style until it's ultra rich, tender and delicious? A: No one. See the recipe.
Stand and deliver this holiday season with a perfect prime rib roast from Michael Symon. His pro tip: Salt generously the night before to get a supremely tender roast. See the recipe.
We asked the titans of chicken roasting—Jonathan Waxman, Michael Tusk, Andrew Carmellini and three more chefs—for their foolproof techniques and assembled their collective knowledge for the ultimate brined, herb-rubbed roast chicken. See the recipe.
Simplify your hosting life by throwing a shabu shabu party. It's an ingenious Japanese feast where guests cook meats and vegetables tableside in one crock of hot, flavorful broth, then dunk it all into chile oil and a zippy blood orange sauce. See the recipe.
This grilled paella is worth shivering in the cold for a bit. Toss in chicken, shellfish and Spanish-style chorizo in a giant, fire-kissed pan with vegetables and rice for a most flavorful and fragrant one-dish wonder. See the recipe.
Give lamb shoulder a star turn on your table with this melt-in-your-mouth slow-cooked dish, brightened with a punchy sauce of pounded herbs. See the recipe.
Take the crew on a gastronomic journey to Vietnam with Chris Shepherd's cinnamon and anise-scented beef stew. Hunks of torn bread are this aromatic, meaty meal's best friend. See the recipe.
Impress the epicureans in your group with indulgent braised rabbits. Soak in crème fraîche, then simmer in bacon-fat-bolstered sauce for a luscious take on this undersung meat. See the recipe.
Warm up with a double batch of Sean Brock's Lowcountry oyster stew. The rich, bacon-y broth is thickened and sprinkled with a very Southern ingredient: benne, in both flour and seed form. See the recipe.
Porchetta, the Italian roll-up of pork belly, loin and rosemary, gets a spicy spin in the hands of chef Michael White. He seasons his with Sichuan peppercorns for one incredible (and lip-tingling) version of the classic. See the recipe.