Ideas for Holiday Dinner

Our friend, Chef Jonathan Collins, is the king of the grill! He is the best at grilling for any occasion – and we mean ANY. His approachable cooking style resonates with many, and his recipes are all about passionate, healthy, and simple cooking. In this article, you’ll find three out-of-this-world recipes created by Chef Jonathan Collins that will infuse your holiday dinner with flavor, as well as tips on how to get smoky, grilled goodness in your dishes with a pellet grill. 

Holiday grilling is an underrated family tradition! 

The following dishes call for a stovetop and oven but can easily become grilling recipes with the Coyote Pellet Grill. Pellet Grills are extremely versatile and work similarly to a convection oven. Whether you use the grill top as a stovetop, or to bake, roast, or sear – you’ll have minimal cleanup and dishes with a depth of flavor that’ll blow your holiday guests away. 

Holiday Baking Recipe: Black Pepper and Sea Salt Dinner Rolls*

This dinner roll recipe is sure to be the talk of the party! Just make sure no one eats too many before dinner is served, or they might be too full – and we don’t want that. Then, they wouldn’t get to experience the entire chef-inspired menu. *tears* 

*You can produce these dinner rolls in a similar way on the Pellet Grill by using a saucepan on the grill’s surface and by treating the grill as a convection oven. A good rule of thumb is to reduce an average oven’s temperature by 25 degrees if you use a convection oven (or a Pellet Grill serving as a convection oven). In this instance, you would heat the grill to 325 degrees.

YIELDS 8-16

INGREDIENTS:

  • Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 770g
  • Whole Milk  375ml
  • Large Eggs – lightly beaten 3pc
  • Unsalted Butter – cubed (plus more for brushing) 125g
  • Fresh Thyme – leaves stripped 3pc
  • White Granular Sugar  100g
  • Active Dry Yeast  8g
  • Warm Spring Water  125ml
  • Fine Sea Salt  10g

TECHNIQUE:

  1. Gently heat milk in a small saucepan, remove from heat, add butter and sugar, cool
  2. In a separate bowl, add yeast to warm water, stir to dissolve, and let stand until foam develops
  3. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine milk mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, salt, and 1/2 the flour
  4. Mix until smooth; add remaining flour, a little at a time, and continue to mix until smooth
  5. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 5 minutes
  6. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 60 minutes or until doubled in size
  1. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface, punch down dough, divide evenly and form into uniform balls
  2. Divide into 8 portions for large rolls, 16 portions for smaller rolls
  3. Arrange in a lightly seasoned pan, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size
  4. Brush dough with melted butter, season with salt and pepper, and top with thyme
  5. Position the rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350°F (175°C)
  6. Bake 18-20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown, remove from oven

RECIPE FROM THE KITCHEN OF CHEF JONATHAN COLLINS

Holiday Appetizer Recipe: Pan-Roasted Heirloom Carrots*

Hear us out…carrots as an appetizer ARE wholly underrated. These Pan-Roasted Heirloom Carrots are delightfully tender and caramelized. Heirloom carrots are fresh and in season in December, perfect for peak flavor. They deserve to stand on their own instead of as a complement to the main protein. We celebrate #CarrotAppreciation here! These heirloom carrots are an ideal grilled side dish all year round. 

*You can produce a similar result on the Pellet Grill by treating the grill’s top as a stovetop.  

YIELDS 8

INGREDIENTS:

  • Heirloom Carrots – peeled  1.5 kg
  • Fresh Thyme – leaves stripped 3 pc
  • Lemon Zest 1 pc
  • Fresh Rosemary  3 pc
  • Clover Honey (optional)  1 tbsp
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tbsp
  • Unsalted Butter  1 tbsp
  • Flaked Sea Salt to taste
  • Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

TECHNIQUE:

  1. Slice carrots on 45° angle, rolling ¼ turn after each slice, uniform thickness for even cooking
  2. Heat olive oil and butter in a cast iron or heavy bottom sauté pan over medium-high heat
  3. Add carrots, thyme, and rosemary to the pan, and season with salt and pepper
  4. Roast until carrots are tender, caramelized, and golden brown; check the seasoning, and remove rosemary
  5. Drizzle with honey to finish

Holiday Roast Recipe: Garlic Studded Prime Rib Roast* 

Now, to the main event…a juicy, savory, flavorful Garlic Studded Prime Rib Roast recipe. This isn’t your average rib roast, Aunt Shirl. This is a masterpiece!  For this prime rib roast, sear on the Pellet Grill on high heat before roasting for a crispy exterior crust. Delicious!

Grilled entrees provide a depth of flavor that an oven can’t produce. That’s why we recommend taking this prime rib roast recipe to the next level by producing a similar result on the Pellet Grill by treating the grill as a convection oven. A good rule of thumb is to reduce an average oven’s temperature by 25 degrees if you use a convection oven (or a Pellet Grill serving as a convection oven). In this instance, you would heat the grill to 325 degrees.

YIELDS 8

INGREDIENTS:

  • Prime Rib Roast Bone-In (2 guests/bone) – trimmed (manchonner if desired). 8lbs
  • Carrots – peeled and medium dice  1 cup
  • Celery Heart – peeled and medium dice  1 cup
  • Yellow Onion – peeled and medium dice 1 cup
  • Leek Whites – rinsed, peeled and medium slice 1 cup
  • Roma Tomatoes – peeled and medium dice 2 cups
  • Shallots – trimmed, peeled and sliced in half lengthways 8 pc
  • Garlic Bulb – cloves peeled and sliced in quarters 2 pc
  • Fresh Thyme – leaves stripped 5 pc
  • Caraway Seed – lightly toasted 3 tbsp
  • Fennel Seed – lightly toasted 3 tbsp
  • Red Wine 500ml
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3 tbsp
  • Unsalted Butter  3 tbsp
  • Unsalted Butter – chilled 1 tbsp
  • Flaked Sea Salt. to taste
  • Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

TECHNIQUE – PRIME RIB ROAST:

  1. Remove the rib roast from refrigerator 1 hour before preparation, bringing it close to room temperature
  2. Position the rack in the lower half of the oven, and preheat to 350°F (180°C)
  3. Heat a heavy bottom pan over medium-high, toast caraway and fennel seed until golden brown and fragrant
  4. Pat the rib roast dry with paper towels
  5. Using a boning knife, make incisions into the roast deep enough to press a garlic clove below the surface
  6. Space the incisions evenly so that when carving, each slice has several cloves revealed
  7. Massage the spice mixture into the roast, drizzle with olive oil, add thyme leaves, and season with salt and pepper
  8. Heat olive oil and butter in a cast iron or heavy bottom casserole pan over medium-high heat
  9. Gently roll the rib roast, presentation side first, into the roasting pan, turning to brown on each side; remove and set aside
  10. Add carrots, celery, onion, and leek to the pan sauté until golden brown, add tomatoes, and deglaze with red wine
  11. Place the rib roast fat side up and rib bones down in a roasting pan
  12. Estimate 25-30 minutes/kg for rare | 30-35 minutes/kg for medium rare
  13. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the roast, not touching a bone
  14. Roast until the probe thermometer reads 115°-120°F for rare or 125°-130°F for medium rare
  15. The roast will continue to cook when removed from the oven, increasing the internal temperature
  16. Cover rib roast with foil and rest for 20-30 minutes before carving

TECHNIQUE – PAN GRAVY:

  1. Heat roasting pan over medium-high heat, deglaze with red wine, use a fine mesh sieve strain the stock
  2. Reduce liquid in a medium saucepan until desired consistency, remove excess fat, and add juices collected during resting
  3. Add chilled butter, swirl to finish, check the seasoning, take off heat, and cover until ready to serve

All three of these holiday recipes are from the personal kitchen of Chef Jonathan Collins. 

Chef Jonathan Collins loves to share his life as a Chef by stripping away complexity and teaching you how to cook amazing food with confidence. His enthusiastic, approachable cooking style resonates with viewers on BT Toronto, Cityline, CTV Ottawa Morning Live, Today’s Shopping Choice, and CBC’s The Goods and Steven and Chris. He has produced several of his own series, including Hungry for Family, Cuisinart Culinary School, The Kitchen Life and The Outdoors Chef. Since graduating Le Cordon Bleu, Jonathan has developed a signature style by blending North American, European and Asian influences with a French foundation and distinct Canadian identity, emphasizing fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.