Yotam Ottolenghi's Last-Minute Recipes for the Christmas Holidays

A festive "last minute" is not quite the same as a Monday night "last minute". Agreed?! A festive last minute means you've just been told that a few more people are showing up for tomorrow's party. And one of them happens to be vegan, one is gluten-free, and the other is just going to be very (very) hungry. A festive treat is all about fending off last-minute curve balls like this, so here are three dishes to help you stay covered.

Mixed Root Vegetable Dauphinoise (top photo) A fridge raid of all the root vegetables you have on hand. Don't skimp on the potatoes, though: that's what makes it super comforting. Use any mild spice blend you have around the house and replace the parmesan with another hard cheese, if you prefer.

Prep 20 minCook 30 minServes 6

1 red chilli (20 g) finely sliced ​​90 ml white wine vinegar 2 tsp caster sugar Fine sea salt 75 g unsalted butter 1 tbsp rosemary leaves 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced ​​(150g) (including 200g king edward or similar potatoes), coarsely chopped diagonally into 4cm x 2cm pieces 175g double cream 25g grated parmesan cheese 10g finely chopped parsley leaves

In a small bowl, combine the chilli, vinegar, sugar and a teaspoon of salt and set aside to marinate.

Place a shallow 28cm round casserole dish that you have a lid on over medium-high heat, add the butter and, once it has melted, has add the rosemary, onion, baharat and two teaspoons of salt, and cook for five minutes, until the onions are pale and translucent. Add all the root vegetables, cook, stirring occasionally for two minutes, then add 150ml water, cover and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the vegetables are cooked.

Turn on the grill to its highest temperature. Stir the double cream into the pot of root vegetables, cook uncovered for five minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in half the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, then broil for three minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Let stand and set for 10 minutes, then sprinkle over the pickled chili and a teaspoon of the pickling liquor. Serve hot with parsley sprinkled on top.

Apricot and pecan stuffing with green sauce

It can be pretty much put together from a well-stocked pantry: these dried apricots and pecans are somewhere in there, trust me (and if not, use figs and walnuts instead.) Make it a day ahead, if you like. wish, ready to reheat before...