12 Showstopping Christmas Dinner Entrées

This list of showstopping Christmas dinner entrées features some of our most impressive and elegant (and mind-blowingly tasty!) recipes. A standing rib roast, Cornish game hens, a pork crown roast, or a big pot of tamales will definitely be the star of the show.

Beef Tenderloin with Madeira Sauce

: Weldon Owen Inc. | Williams-Sonoma 1/12 This no-fuss recipe doesn't ambush you with any trickery. It just delivers you a supple, perfectly cooked roast beef tenderloin napped with a slightly boozy but goof-proof sauce.
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Glazed Ham

: DK Publishing 2/12 Plonk this brown sugar glazed ham on your holiday table, step back, and listen to the gasped oohs and aahs, accept all manner of accolades, and watch it disappear.
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Slow Roast Lamb

: Tara Fisher 3/12 This slow roasted lamb shoulder coaxes the meat to fall-apart tenderness in the oven while infusing it with the pervasive aroma and flavor of orange, chile, and honey.
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Standing Rib Roast

: Brett Stevens 4/12 Pricey but not pretentious, a standing rib roast is essentially a slab of bone-in rib eye steaks standing on end. You could do worse, eh?
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Pomegranate-Glazed Cornish Game Hens

: Emily Sandor 5/12 When it's Thanksgiving for just a few of you, your response is game hens with a sweetly tart and pleasingly peppery glaze and a lovely little pine nut bread stuffing. Makes just enough.
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Pork Loin in the Style of Porchetta

: Christina Holmes 6/12 A mashup of two Italian classics—arista and porchetta—that's essentially pork roast stuffed with rosemary and more ground pork. Ridiculously easy to make. And even easier to devour.
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Mushroom Wellingtons with Spinach

: Nassima Rothacker 7/12 Yep. Vegan wellingtons. For Thanksgiving. But also for a random Thursday night. Because once a year is certainly not enough. And you can even make 'em ahead of time.
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Roast Duck Stuffed with Farro, Figs, and Hazelnuts

: Alex Farnum 8/12 Truly impressive and a heck of a lot less fussy than it looks. Tastes pretty darn phenomenal, too. Sign us up.
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Red Chile Pork Tamales

: Ted Axelrod 9/12 These red chile pork tamales are the real authentic Mexican deal and taste like they were carefully crafted by the loveliest abuela imaginable. Here's how to make them.
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Beef Wellington

: dar1930 10/12 A favorite holiday dish, beef Wellington is beef fillet slathered with pate, covered in a dice of mushrooms, wrapped in puff pastry, and baked.
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Garlic and Herb Pork Crown Roast

11/12 This Christmas crown roast of pork is brined then rubbed with garlic and herbs then oven-roasted. The center of the crown roast is filled with wild rice.
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Glazed Ham with Mustard

: Matthew Benson 12/12 Going rogue this Thanksgiving? Consider this simple glazed ham has got a sweet and spicy thing going on that's simultaneously subtle and super impressive. And let's face it, leftovers are reason enough to make it.
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