Recipes of the week: A ‘semi-traditional’ Big Easy Christmas feast

New Orleans chef John Besh finds time at Christmas to create fantastic “semi-traditional Southern dishes for family and friends,” said Pableaux Johnson in Food & Wine. Besh, named Best New Chef by Food & Wine in 1999, now oversees a restaurant empire whose outposts include August in downtown New Orleans; Besh Steak in the nearby Harrah’s casino complex; and La Provence in Lacombe, La., an hour’s drive from the Big Easy. This 16-pound roast serves as the centerpiece for his holiday spread, with a “crackly, caramelized edge” to each slice. Barbara Berrigan, Besh’s mother-in-law, provided the “outrageously decadent recipe” for the bacon-studded potatoes.

Recipes of the week

Horseradish-and-Herb-Crusted Beef Rib Roast

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The inspiration for this delicious roast comes from chef John Besh’s father-in-law, Pat Berrigan, who serves it every Christmas with horseradish sauce on the side. Besh opts to smear the roast with a horseradish-garlic-herb butter, which bakes to form an irresistible crust.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 head of garlic, cloves coarsely chopped

1 cup prepared horseradish

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp chopped thyme

3 tbsp chopped rosemary

3 tbsp chopped sage

One 16-pound rib roast of beef

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In food processor, combine butter with garlic, horseradish, thyme, rosemary, sage; process to paste. Stand roast in very large roasting pan. Season generously with salt and pepper; set it fatty side up. Spread horseradish-herb butter all over top. Bake for about 3-1/2 hours, until instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 125 degrees for medium rare. Transfer roast to carving board to rest for at least 20 minutes, or up to 1 hour before serving. Serves 12.

Creamy Potatoes With Bacon

Chef Besh advises seeking out artisanally made bacon, like the kind from Tennessee’s Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams (Bentonshams.com). It’s smoked in hickory wood, and Besh swears it’s the best bacon out there.

5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3-inch chunks

Salt

1 lb thickly sliced bacon

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup heavy cream, warmed

1/2 cup farmer cheese

1/2 cup minced chives

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Put potatoes in large pot and cover with water. Add salt; bring to boil. Simmer over moderately high heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook bacon in 2 batches over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Drain bacon on paper towels and coarsely chop it. Drain potatoes and return them to pot. Shake pot over moderately high heat for about 20 seconds to dry potatoes. Pass potatoes through ricer into large pot. Add butter, cream, cheese, chives, bacon; stir well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.