Christmas is the time of the year where everyone can kick back and share some good quality time with their family over supper. Family, presents, a Christmas tree and a delicious, filling meal complete this festive time of the year for all of us. Comfort food over the Christmas table is something we can all fall back on from fighting over board games, nagging moms and having to chat with your drunken uncle.

Tensions can run really high when you have to prepare a red meat Christmas that will have the whole family munching down quietly on the umami flavoured goodness you whole heartedly prepared. And no, it does not take years of practice to ace that Christmas centre meal. You just have to know some beef and lamb recipes and follow them right. Here are some Christmas red meat meal ideas that you can use:

Rib Roast

Here’s a simple to follow recipe for a meal that the family is going to remember in high praise all year round. To prepare the rib roast, you need a 3 rib standing rib roast that is around 7 pounds, a tablespoon of kosher salt, 1.5 tablespoons of ground black pepper and Mustard horseradish sauce. The Mustard Horseradish sauce is surprisingly easy to make. Just whisk together 1.5 cups of mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1.5 tablespoons of whole grain mustard, 1/3 cup of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of prepared horseradish together. Add ¼ teaspoons of kosher salt in the mix and you’re done with the Mustard Horseradish sauce.

Next, remove the rib from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for at least two hours. Set your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit beforehand and place the rib, bone-side down in the lower half of the over. Sprinkle some pepper and salt on the top of the rib before roasting it for 45 minutes. Then, roast it for another 30 minutes at a reduced heat of 325 degrees Fahrenheit for that slow release, melt in your mouth effect. Finally, roast it for an additional 20 minutes on 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove the roast and slice it to a desired thickness and serve it with Mustard Horseradish sauce!

Marmalade Glazed Roast Duck

Roast duck is a nice alternative to the usual turkey Christmas dinner. Have a butcher remove the wishbone before buying the duck. Then heat your over to 240 degrees Celsius before sizzling your duck over low heat frying pan on all sides. Make sure all sides of the duck have browned, this should take about 20 minutes. Next, turn the breast side of the duck down on the pan and place the pan into the oven for 5 minutes. This will release the fats inside the ducks into the pan. Take the pan out, drain the fatty oil and place the pan back in for an additional 10 minutes.

To get started on the marmalade, cut an orange in half and cut out 4 wedges from one side. Sear the 4 wedges on a low heat dry pan lightly. Each side should be in contact with the pan for a minute. Remove the wedges and squeeze the other half of the orange on the pan. Then, add marmalade onto the pan. After the duck has been sitting in the oven for 15 minutes, add the marmalade glaze over it and leave it in for 10 more minutes. Finally, remove the duck, carve away the leg and serve the duck slices with orange wedges you set aside.