Scenario: You’ve been tasked with bringing a dish to grandma’s for the holidays and you’re stuck. You want to show off your skills, but you’ve spent hours down the Pinterest rabbit hole and come up with empty hands. Enter: 21c chefs to the rescue.

We’ve rallied the 21c teams to offer up sure-fire crowd-pleaser holiday recipes that you can make at home and impress even the most discerning foodie at your holiday table.

Why not go big and rule the kitchen with the main course? James Beard Foundation Awards Semifinalist Chef Matthew McClure of The Hive in Bentonville saves the day with Roasted Chicken with Garam Masala spices and roasted root vegetables. Full recipes can be found below.

Not quite ready to tackle the main course? A bevy of sides and snacks will roll out in the next few days to help fill the holiday table from end to end.

Roasted Chicken with Garam Masala Spices
Ingredients:
1 whole Chicken
2 garlic cloves
¼ lemon
¼ cup garam masala (recipe below)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp. rendered chicken fat, (schmaltz)

Method:
Rinse and dry the chicken.
Season the chicken with salt, then massage it with the fat and garam masala spice.
Truss the chicken, then stuff the garlic and lemon in the cavity.
Roast chicken in oven at 375˚F for 45-60 minutes, until the juice runs clear
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

For the spice:
Ingredients:
2 star Anise
1 Guajillo pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp anise seed
½ tsp pink peppercorns
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
½ tsp cloves

Toast spices then grind into fine powder.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled and chunked
1 onion, peeled and slice into 8 wedges
1 sweet potato, peeled, cut in 6 wedges
1 rutabaga, peeled, cut into 8 wedges
½ cup Honey
4-5 bay leaves

Method:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Place all ingredients in a roasting pan and cover ¼ with water and a splash of olive oil.
Cover and roast, about 1.5 hours or until very tender and caramelized