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Prawn cocktail plonk plate.

Recipe collection

Foolproof and forgiving: 20 festive recipes you can relax around

Oven unreliable? Hosting anxiety? Whatever – these don’t require a test run or precise timing, and if it still goes pear-shaped, top with herbs (or extra icing sugar or cream), to save the day!

20 recipes
Belly porchetta with fennel, sage and chilli.
EASY

Easy porchetta with fennel, sage and chilli

  • Adam Liaw
This salmon topped with tahini sauce, walnuts, mint and pomegranate is great warm or cold.
EASY

Side of salmon with walnuts, tahini, mint and pomegranate molasses

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Karen Martini
Roast pumpkin with macadamia and chilli.
EASY

Roast pumpkin with macadamia and chilli

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Adam Liaw
Eat the rainbow: Smoked trout dip with colourful crudites.
EASY

Smoked trout dip with crudites

  • < 30 mins
  • Danielle Alvarez
Hellenic Republic's popular Cypriot grain salad is packed with protein-packed lentils.
EASY

Hellenic Republic’s Cypriot grain salad

  • < 30 mins
  • Travis McAuley
Alison Roman's Asian-inspired cold noodle salad.
EASY

Cold noodle salad with sesame, garlic and herbs

  • < 30 mins
  • Alison Roman
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Serve this slow-roasted lamb shoulder with aioli.
EASY

Neil Perry's slow-roasted lamb shoulder

  • 2 hrs +
  • Neil Perry
Crispy smashed potatoes with maximum crunch factor.

RecipeTin Eats x Good Food: Crispy smashed roast potatoes

  • RecipeTin Eats
Chicken in Greek yoghurt.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s chicken in Greek yoghurt

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Adam Liaw
Smushed potato salad with honey mustard dressing.
EASY

RecipeTin Eats x Good Food: Smushed potato salad

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • RecipeTin Eats
Hot smoked salmon with dill, eggs and new potatoes.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s hot smoked salmon with dill, eggs and new potatoes

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Adam Liaw
Raw and charred zucchini star in this textual salad.
EASY

Charred zucchini with harissa yoghurt and pistachio dukkah

  • < 30 mins
  • Katrina Meynink
Serve the lamb with its slow-cooked onions (top left) and rosemary vinaigrette (bottom right).

Adam Liaw's naked slow-roasted lamb shoulder

  • Adam Liaw
Prawn cocktail, but make it a platter.
EASY

Prawn cocktail plonk plate

  • < 30 mins
  • Katrina Meynink
Roast salmon with lemony salsa verde and crispy capers.

Katrina Meynink's roast salmon with lemony salsa verde

  • Katrina Meynink
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Raid the deli cabinet for this adaptable pasta salad.
EASY

Deli cabinet pasta salad with chilli, parmesan and sunflower seed dressing

  • < 30 mins
  • Katrina Meynink
Christmas trifle.

Christmas trifle

  • 2 hrs +
  • Adam Liaw
Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s strawberry and rose Eton mess.

Strawberry and rose Eton mess

  • 2 hrs +
  • Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Mixed berries and sumac sugar slablova.

The simple slablova (with riffs)

  • Katrina Meynink
Caramelised pineapple and cherry pavlova.

Caramelised pineapple and cherry pavlova

  • 2 hrs +
  • Adam Liaw

Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/goodfood/recipes/foolproof-and-forgiving-20-festive-recipes-you-can-relax-around-20251205-p5nl8c.html