(Family Features) At this year’s holiday gatherings, you can put together a showstopping menu from the beginning of the party to the final bite with mouthwatering recipes that bring guests back for more. It all starts with beef, a versatile, beloved ingredient that can be used in appetizers, sides and main courses alike.
Consider these holiday favorites from Beef Loving Texans, including a must-have main course like Classic Beef Wellington. Perfect for a family get-together, this traditional dish combines tender chateaubriand roast with a homemade glaze of earthy mushrooms, red wine and Dijon mustard wrapped in a golden-brown puff pastry.
If you’re serving a group, Top Sirloin Roast with Herb Garlic Peppercorn Crust is ideal for sharing and provides an eye-catching centerpiece at the dining room table.
Before bringing out the main course, however, there’s an important aspect of seasonal parties that calls everyone to the kitchen: savory appetizers. You can invite your guests to share an option like Holiday Mini Beef Meatball Skewers with Cranberry Barbecue Sauce, a festive, easy-to-make favorite that can tide the cravings of a hungry crowd.
Find more beef-inspired holiday dishes at BeefLovingTexans.com.
Classic Beef Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper divided
- 1 chateaubriand tenderloin roast
- 8 ounces mushrooms
- 1 large shallot
- 2 tablespoons dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- flour
- 1 sheet puff pastry
Instructions
- In large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 teaspoon oil until hot. Combine salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Press evenly onto all surfaces of roast. Place roast in skillet; brown evenly. Remove roast from skillet.
- Heat oven to 425 F.
- In food processor, pulse mushrooms and shallot about 10 times until finely chopped. Do not overprocess.
- Place same skillet used for roast over medium-high heat and heat remaining oil until hot. Add mushrooms and shallot; cook 4-6 minutes until tender and all liquid is evaporated, stirring often. Add wine; cook 2-3 minutes until all liquid is evaporated. Stir in mustard, thyme and remaining pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet to medium bowl; cool.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place in oven. On lightly floured cutting board, unfold pastry dough. Roll pastry out to 12-by-9-inch rectangle; lay dough with shortest edge toward you. Spread mushroom mixture onto pastry dough, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Place roast in center of mushrooms. Fold pastry dough neatly around roast, stretching dough if necessary. Cut off excess pastry dough; press to seal overlapping edges.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and dust lightly with flour. Place pastry-wrapped roast, seam-side down, on baking sheet. Cut four (2-inch) vents in top of pastry.
- Bake 35-50 minutes, or until golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 135 F for medium-rare or 150 F for medium. Transfer roast to carving board. Let stand 10 minutes. Temperature will rise about 10 F to reach 145 F for medium-rare or 160F for medium.
- Carve into slices and serve.
Top Sirloin Roast with Herb Garlic Peppercorn Crust
Ingredients
- 1 center-cut sirloin beef roast about 3 pounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Seasoning:
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground mixed peppercorns black, white, green and pink
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Rub roast with olive oil.
- To make seasoning: In small bowl, combine salt, parsley, thyme, garlic and mixed peppercorns; press evenly into beef roast.
- Place roast in roasting pan or baking dish with wire rack in bottom. Bake 40-60 minutes. Remove roast when meat thermometer registers 135 F for medium-rare or 150 F for medium.
- Transfer roast to carving board; tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand 10-15 minutes. Temperature will rise about 10 F to reach 145 F for medium-rare or 160 F for medium.
- Carve roast into slices by cutting against grain.
Holiday Mini Beef Meatball Skewers with Cranberry Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup fresh zucchini grated
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 small yellow onion diced 1/2 inch
- 2 red bell peppers diced 1/2 inch
- 2 green bell peppers diced 1/2 inch
- 12 skewers 6 inches
Cranberry Barbecue Sauce:
- 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce 16 ounces
- 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In medium bowl, lightly mix ground beef, zucchini, egg, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Shape into 24 1-inch meatballs. Alternately thread meatballs, onions, red peppers and green peppers onto skewers. Place skewers on shallow-rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake 22-25 minutes, or until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatball registers 160 F.
- To make cranberry barbecue sauce: In medium saucepan, combine cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce; simmer 5 minutes, or until flavors blend.
- Drizzle sauce over skewers or serve as dipping sauce.
Source: Beef Loving Texans