12 Tantalizing Holiday Main Dishes

Compared to classics like turkey or roast beef, which require precise timing, brisket is an amazingly forgiving holiday main dish. (It actually tastes better when made ahead and reheated!) Not to mention, it actually makes its own gravy as it cooks, a luscious sauce that's begging for mashed potatoes.

Beer-Braised Brisket

A marinade made of rosemary, orange juice and sorghum (a syrup that is stronger tasting than honey but less bitter than molasses) infuses the dish with sweetness and color. Chef Edward Lee swears by sorghum'’s flavor, but if you can'’t find it, molasses works.

Cornish Game Hens with Root Vegetable Hash

At the White Gull Inn in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, cheddar and mushrooms flavor indulgent steaks.

Stuffed Beef Tenderloin Filet

Perfumed with rosemary and sage and served with white wine gravy and whole-roasted garlic and shallots, this succulent roast delivers drama at a bargain price. We recommend ordering this roast in advance. Ask the butcher to remove the chine bone and to French the roast—trim fat and meat from the bone. The whole garlic bulbs are edible but intended as a garnish. If you want to skip them, just roast one for the gravy.

Mustard-Crusted Rack of Pork

Allow us to introduce you to fennel pollen. This favorite of pros has hints of licorice and citrus. Find it in specialty stores or online, then use it to flavor pork belly.

Porchetta

Serve Salsa Verde over potatoes or with porchetta.

With its rich meaty sauce and creamy cheese layers, this lasagna is always a favorite main dish.

Classic Lasagna

Even better than the pretty glazed fruit and crazy-juicy bird? The appley gravy made from the drippings.

Cider-Brined Turkey with Roasted Apples

Roll a filling of bacon, chopped spinach and Parmesan cheese in pork loin roast to create this appealing holiday main dish, from Turkey Run Inn in Terre Haute, Indiana. When checking the temp of this roast, move the thermometer around so it's resting in meat, not filling.

Rolled Spinach Pork Loin

For the holidays, guests savor this herbed chicken and vegetable main dish at Spa Shiki at the Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Missouri. Chefs cook and stir their own Alfredo sauce, but we skipped that step and used purchased sauce as the base.

Herbed Chicken With Wild Rice

With its short cook time, this Mediterranean-inspired roast leaves plenty of time (and space in the oven) for preparing side dishes. The recipe comes from chef Anne Kearney.

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

A homemade pesto mixed with parsley, rosemary and walnuts creates a nutty rub for turkey breast. Pair with adobo-flavored potatoes and lemony Brussels sprouts.

Tomato Pesto Turkey

Chipotle Smashed Potatoes

Brined Brussels Sprouts with Lemony Mushrooms

Raisins dot the sauce and plump up as they're heated in this easy topper for traditional spiral-sliced holiday ham. Plan on leftovers for sandwiches and soups.

Baked Holiday Spiral Ham with Raisin Sauce