The December table, handled
Christmas dinner for 10, one oven and all.
Roast math for prime rib, ham, or tenderloin, every side scaled, and the December week in order — so the cook gets to sit down too.
Pick your main — the rest follows
| Main | For 10, buy | The math | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime rib | 10 lb bone-in (4 bones) | 1 lb bone-in pp | The holiday flex. One rack, no carving skill needed — slice between bones. |
| Ham | 8 lb bone-in | ¾ lb bone-in pp | Cheapest, most forgiving, best leftovers. Spiral-cut = zero carving. |
| Beef tenderloin | 5 lb trimmed | ½ lb pp | Priciest per pound, done in under an hour, impossible to carve badly. |
| Turkey (again) | 13–15 lb | 1¼ lb pp | If your family expects it, see the Thanksgiving guide — same playbook, smaller bird. |
Roast by thermometer, not clock. For prime rib and tenderloin, pull at 120–125°F for medium-rare and rest 20–30 minutes — carryover finishes the job. (The USDA’s official number for whole beef roasts is 145°F with rest; the steakhouse standard is lower. Know both, choose knowingly, and use an actual thermometer either way.)
Sides for 10, scaled
| Dish | Amount for 10 | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Potatoes (mashed or roasted) | 5 lb | Yukon Golds swing both ways |
| A green vegetable | 2½ lb | Brussels sprouts roast while the meat rests |
| A root or squash side | 3 lb | Glazed carrots hold well and reheat better |
| Yorkshire puddings or rolls | 15 | Puddings if prime rib (the drippings are right there); rolls otherwise |
| Gravy or jus | 3 cups | From the roast’s own drippings |
| Dessert | 2 desserts | One centerpiece (bûche, trifle, pie), one make-ahead backup |
The week, in order
- Dec 20–21: Order or buy the roast — prime rib and tenderloin sell out; a frozen turkey needs fridge time starting now.
- Dec 23: Dessert day. Both desserts done, cranberry if you’re doing it, table linens found.
- Dec 24: Prep every side to the point of cooking. Salt the roast tonight and leave it uncovered in the fridge — better crust, better seasoning.
- Dec 25, morning: Roast math backward from dinner: prime rib wants ~15–17 min/lb at 325°F plus a 30-minute rest — a 10-lb rack goes in about 3½ hours before you carve.
- The rest window is the sides window. Oven jumps to 425°F while the meat rests: vegetables roast, puddings puff, gravy comes off the drippings. Same one-oven trick as Thanksgiving.
What to buy instead of make
Dessert is the classic Christmas buy — a bakery bûche de Noël outclasses most homemade attempts and frees your entire Dec 23. Rolls, obviously. Even the sides flex: good deli mashed potatoes exist and nobody checks. Spend yourself on the roast and the gravy — that’s the memory. Store-bought is fine; two mothers we trust built half this app on that principle.
Planning the Christmas table?
Dinner Caddy builds the menu around your roast, scales every side to your headcount, and writes the prep schedule backward from dinner. Free, no account.
Plan my party free →