What to make for Christmas

[Retrograde]

20. I'm planning on leftovers

I'm doing a Polish Wigilia tomorrow, and expect to have a lot of leftovers. Most of the dishes are pretty labor intensive, but the main course - a simple baked salmon - doesn't take long, especially if you replace the Hollandaise sauce with lemon juice.

Some groceries around here carry rotissaried chickens, which just need to be kept warm. Serve with potatoes or a pasta or couscous and simply cooked vegetables. If there are any Mexican groceries near you you may be able to find tamales, which are popular this time of the year.

Rather than roasting a whole chicken, how about chicken thighs? They're smaller, so they take less time. There are a lot of recipes available online from practically every cuisine. One of my go-to ones is chicken with paprika: salt and pepper the chicken thighs, and brown. Remove from pan, add sliced (or minced or diced) onions, and mushrooms if you like. Add the thighs back, add enough stock to barely cover, and simmer for a half-hour or so until it's done (insert plug for meat thermometer). Remove thighs to a warm plate in the oven while you reduce the stock, then stir in sour-cream and add paprika until it's a pleasing color. The sour cream is optional, but I think it's festive. Serve with egg noodles. (This also works with pork chops, if those are an option)