Host Your Holiday Dinner Like A Chef While On A Budget

Impress your family by whipping up this holiday meal with tips from celebrity restauranteur Jeremy Fall.

Holiday meals can be complicated...and expensive. But restauranteur Jeremy Fall wants to make your next family gathering stress-free and budget-friendly!

Jeremy Fall

Jeremy's restaurant portfolio includes over 10 spots around the US and he was recently named a part of Forbes' prestigious 30 under 30 list!

Nighthawk Breakfast Bar / Via instagram.com

He's cooked with some major celebs, like Shay Mitchell and Charli D'Amelio.

Shay Mitchell / Via youtube.com, The D'Amelios / Via youtu.be

And he's even got the approval of the CEO of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri:

Food Network / Via foodnetwork.com

To help you through the holiday season, Jeremy curated a holiday meal to fit your budget — whether you're cooking for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, or even Festivus!

Follow along with his recipes to learn his tips for keeping your dishes within budget, all while making a meal that's sure to have your relatives demanding the instructions!

Start things off with brown sugar-garlic seared chicken thighs, topped with gravy:

Jeremy Fall

The main course of any meal can get pricey but cooking on a budget is all about elevating affordable items. Give simple chicken thighs more dimension by using this unexpected twist to cheap store bought gravy.

Cooking tip from Jeremy: "Sear these in a pan first with a lot of butter then throw them in the oven. Chicken thighs have a lot of flavor and are great for sharing over holiday gatherings. Buy cheap canned gravy and spruce it up by mixing in Old Bay seasoning."

Ingredients

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 


Salt and ground black pepper


3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 


4 cloves garlic, minced


¼ cup packed brown sugar 


1 tablespoon honey 


¼ teaspoon dried thyme


¼ teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.


2. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.


3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

4. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear until brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate (I prefer the skin to be very crispy so recommend keeping it on longer if you prefer crispier skin)



5. Melt remaining butter in the skillet. Add garlic and cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, honey, thyme, and basil until well combined. Add chicken back to the skillet.



6. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes or until fully cooked through.

Add a side of garlic roasted potatoes with Cacio e Pepe aioli:

Jeremy Fall

Make use of what you already have at home! While this aioli may sound fancy to your family and friends, I'm almost positive these are things you have in your cabinet right now.

Ingredients

For the potatoes:

3 pounds small red or white potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

For the Cacio E Pepe aioli:

4 oz. mayonnaise

1 oz. parmesan

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste

Directions

For the potatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2. Cut the potatoes in quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic

3. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet

4. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until browned and crisp.

5. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking in order to ensure even browning.

6. Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with parsley, and season to taste.

For the Cacio E Pepe Aioli

1. Combine all ingredients and whisk together

Get in some greens with balsamic caramelized brussels sprouts:

Jeremy Fall

Use every part of your ingredients so that nothing goes to waste. These delicious brussels sprouts even utilize the bacon fat!

Cooking tip from Jeremy: "Use real bacon and start by crisping Brussels sprouts by cooking them in a pan full of bacon fat before transferring to oven. And if you like a little heat, add some Buffalo sauce!"

Ingredients

1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved

2 oz. bacon bits

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.

2. Slice sprouts in half.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat.

4. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet

5. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.

6. Top with bacon bits

Add in a side of this cheesy corn off the cob:

Jeremy Fall

Don't forget to have fun while cooking! If you're out of an ingredient at home, you can substitute to taste with things you already know you love from your kitchen.

Cooking tip from Jeremy: "You can have fun with the fondue and clean out your fridge with things you already have laying around like beer, white wine, onions, Buffalo sauce, or seasonings in your cupboard. Mix whatever you love most."

Ingredients

2 cans whole kernel

1/4 cup butter

6 tbsp mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

0.5 oz. Sriracha

Sliced scallions to garnish

Directions

1. In a cast iron skillet, add corn, butter, Sriracha and mayonnaise.

2. Bring skillet to medium heat and stir until evenly mixed.

3. Sprinkle salt and pepper and mix in.

4. Add cheese when the mixture is hot.

5. Place skillet in oven at a low broil

6. Let cheese broil until the top turns into a light brown.

7. Remove from oven and garnish with fresh scallions.

And don't forget this elevated Caesar salad!

Jeremy Fall

To save some cash, buy ingredients you know you'll use again. It's easy to reuse romaine and Caesar dressing to make lunch but when you include it this fancier dinner side, your family is sure to be impressed.

Cooking tip from Jeremy: "Buy your favorite bottled Caesar dressing and make it sound fancy by adding liquid smoke."

Ingredients

For the dressing:

6 oz. favorite bottled Caesar dressing

0.5 oz. hickory liquid smoke concentrated seasoning

For the salad:

1 to 2 heads Romaine

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 oz shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Heat the broiler

2. Make the dressing by whisk together Caesar dressing and liquid smoke

3. Halve the Romaine heads

4. Line a sheet pan with foil. Rub it lightly with oil.

5. Place the halved heads of lettuces cut side down on the sheet pan.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Transfer pan to the oven and broil for 2 minutes, or until slightly charred.

8. Turn the heads. Drizzle with more olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Add cheese to top.

10. Return pan to the oven, and broil for another 2 minutes.

11. Transfer heads to a large platter. Spoon dressing over top to taste.

12. Add more cheese on top

Happy cooking!