Growing up, I was never much of a carnivore, but my family’s Christmas Day meal provided one important exception: prime rib. We’d buy it at Noel’s, a small town grocery with big time meat. Served in all its glory alongside its own juice and horseradish for a tangy bite, it’s the centerpiece of our table every year. Classics like mashed potatoes, bacon and molasses-enriched beans, and a salad of toasted pine nuts and gorgonzola round out the feast. Though our Christmas tradition isn’t bound by culture—no Feast of the Seven Fishes here—its meat-and-potatoes sensibility speaks to the bounty of New England, echoed by our Christmas Eve ritual of steamed lobsters and mussels. I didn’t always prefer this kind of simplicity, favoring ethnic cuisines and far-flung flavors. But my appreciation of simple has grown with that of the best place to find it: home.
—Audrey Morgan, digital director of Baked Magazine. Follow Audrey on Instagram @audreymorg.
Baked Beans with Bacon and Molasses
The recipe for this simple Christmas side dish comes from my late Nana. Like the woman who made it, it’s sweet, a little salty, and wonderfully indulgent.
SERVES 12
Ingredients:
- 2 (28 oz.) cans baked beans
- 1 (12 oz.) jar of dark molasses
- ½ cup onion flakes
- ½ lb. bacon (You’ll use about half the slices)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Drain beans and place in a bowl.
- Add molasses and onion flakes and mix thoroughly.
- Transfer bean mixture to a casserole dish and top with strips of bacon. Bake for 1 hour.
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