The best meal of the year is the best for a reason, especially when you include these essential ingredients.
It is no surprise that the Irish love Christmas, but when it comes to Christmas dinner, there are no words to describe how ultimately happy and excited this makes us.
The traditional Irish Christmas dinner is literally the best meal of the year, and by the end of this article, you’ll be dying for your own mouthwatering plate of goodness.
Now, with that being said, there are essential ingredients for an Irish Christmas dinner that must be included to make it truly authentic.
So, don’t even think about missing out on these or replacing them with something ‘similar’, except the meat, of course, if you are vegetarian – that’s allowed!
Now let us tickle your taste buds with our ten essential ingredients for an Irish Christmas dinner.
10. Cranberry sauce – the turkey’s best sidekick
Turkey is not complete without cranberry sauce. We can’t think of anything worse than dry meat on Christmas day.
So, cranberry sauce is definitely one of the most essential ingredients for an Irish Christmas dinner.
9. Yorkshire puddings – we love our Christmas pastries
These baked fluffy puddings are so tasty, especially when soaked in deliciously rich, thick gravy.
Missing out on these essential ingredients for an Irish Christmas dinner is just not recommended.
8. Nut roast – the delicious veggie alternative
Nut roast is so rich, filling, and tasty that it is the ideal accompaniment to an Irish Christmas dinner. For vegans or vegetarians, this is definitely one of the main essential ingredients for an Irish Christmas dinner.
Paired with a thick gravy, this nut roast, or nut loaf as it is sometimes known, is just to die for.
7. Veggies – the ultimate Christmas mix
A mix of specific vegetables is necessary to make an Irish Christmas dinner complete.
The most traditional vegetables to roast are carrots, parsnip, turnip, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.
To get the vegetables Christmas ready, make sure they are honey glazed and roasted to perfection.
6. Gravy – the best addition to soak up
In Ireland, we are big fans of Bisto. To us, there is no other contender, so as you can imagine, the chosen gravy for your traditional Irish Christmas dinner should be Bisto.
When it comes to making gravy, people have different preferences on thickness, but the best flavour comes from mixing in some of the turkey juice.
5. Mash – there can never be enough spuds
Creamy mashed potatoes are one of the essential ingredients for an Irish Christmas dinner.
Even though we will have roast potatoes as well, there can never be too many potatoes in the eyes of an Irish person.
4. Ham – turkey and ham: a match made in heaven
Honey glazed Irish ham has to be one of the most essential ingredients for an Irish Christmas dinner.
And, as we all know, Irish ham is second to none and goes hand in hand with the main contender – turkey!
3. Roast potatoes – the greasier and crispier, the better
The ultimate Irish ‘roasties’ are made by pre-boiling them before putting them in the oven.
They are also extremely tasty if you oil them in goose fat, the traditional Irish way.
2. Stuffing – the essential side ingredient
An Irish Christmas dinner just wouldn’t be a proper meal without stuffing, so this ingredient cannot be left out.
Many like to make this from scratch with fresh breadcrumbs and mixed fresh herbs, including rosemary and thyme, before baking it and allowing it to form a crispy coating.
1. Turkey – the main contender
Nothing says Christmas like a giant roast turkey, big enough to feed the family for days and have some leftovers for the Christmas sandwiches.
Turkeys take a lot of prep and time to cook, so there is no messing around with this essential ingredient.
Many people choose their turkey in advance from the local butchers or local supermarket, where freshness is guaranteed.
Roasting the turkey to perfection takes skill, but if you get this right, you’ve completed a traditional Irish Christmas dinner.
Well, we don’t know about you, but that certainly made us hungry and, better still, even more excited for the Christmas season.
So, if you are the cook this year, make sure you don’t miss out on these ten essential ingredients for an Irish Christmas dinner; your guests will be very impressed!
