Ina Garten Reveals What's She'll Be Cooking For Christmas
Christmas is just a few days away. One of the best parts of the holiday — aside from giving gifts, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying all of the decorations — is the food. While there are always tons of Christmas cookies to be had, you don't have to wait until dessert to indulge in delicious food. For many people, Christmas dinner (or Christmas Eve dinner) joins Thanksgiving dinner as one of the most anticipated feasts of the year. Everyone's holiday meal looks a little bit different, but there are some traditional Christmas dishes that are more commonly found on tables across the country than others. A YouGov survey reports that the most popular entrees at Christmastime are turkey, prime rib, steak, chicken, and ham, while roast potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green beans are go-to side dishes.
However, the "Barefoot Contessa"'s Ina Garten doesn't follow the rules when it comes to her Christmas dinner. In a recent interview, the celebrity chef revealed what's on her holiday menu — and it's certainly not something you'd find at most households this season. Here's what she'll be whipping up for December 25.
Ina Garten's Christmas dinner stars a unique main course
While popular proteins like roast turkey or chicken might be what most home chefs in the U.S. are preparing for Christmas dinner, Ina Garten has other plans. Her main course of choice? Rack of lamb. When asked by Today about her holiday dinner menu, she said, "I'm going to cook. We're going to stay home. I'm gonna make a rack of lamb. We're going to have a good time. We're going to have a movie festival. It's going to be great!" It turns out that rack of lamb is also one of the Barefoot Contessa's specialties. She previously told The Food Network that it's her go-to meal (served with a side of orzo and roasted vegetables with a French apple tart for dessert).
But when it comes down to it, Garten says that she always tries to make her Christmas entertaining as painless as possible by preparing ahead of time. "The most important thing for having a party is that the hostess is having fun," she told Epicurious."I'm very organized. I make a plan for absolutely everything. I never have anything that has to be cooked while the guests are there. The only thing I might have to do is take something out of the oven and carve it."