I go all out for holidays. I love it because I get to make my fancy foods, and the family loves the presentation. The stuff I put out looks like it belongs in a magazine
I made a traditional ham with a pecan honey mustard glaze. I like to score the fat on the ham with criss-cross lines and use cloves as push-pins to hold on cherries, then cover it with pineapple rings. You baste is every 20 minutes or so and cook it at 250F for 2 hours. Absolutely the best tasting ham ever. Even ham haters love it.
I also have a signature scalloped potato recipe that I developed over the years. It takes a little work but it's one of those things that gets people over to your house because they taste so damn good.
Fritzo's Signature Scalloped Potatoes:
1) Place one stick of butter in a COLD 3qt pot with 1 finely sliced medium onion and two cloves of mined garlic.
2) As the butter melts, keep stirring and the onions should nearly liquefy as they turn translucent.
3) Mix in 1/2 cup of flour, stir into a paste.
4) Pour in 1/2 gallon of COLD whole milk in with the paste and stir vigorously with a wire wisk until blended.
5) Add 1 sprig of fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves and bring the mixture (roux) to a slow boil.
6) As the roux thickens, add salt/pepper to taste. When fully thickened, remove the thyme sprig and bay leaves.
7) Slice 5 lbs of potatoes into thin slices and place them in a layer in a 13x9 baking dish. Cover the layer with a ladle of roux, then add another layer of potatoes. Repeat until finished.
8) Cover the top of the potatoes with sharp shredded cheddar cheese and fresh chopped parsley. Sprinkle with smoked paprika.
Bake this covered at 400F for about 1 hr, and remove the cover and bake another 20 minutes. This will brown the cheese and make an awesome top-layer crust.
Enjoy
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