Prime rib is the ultimate Christmas feast — a grand roast brought to the table with pride and served with a luscious creamy horseradish sauce. You could serve almost anything else on the side and your dinner guests would still be quite impressed, but since you've likely gone to great expense and effort for the roast, filling out the rest of the table should be both easy on the cook and the wallet. Here's what to serve with a classic prime rib roast for a luxe holiday party.

The Menu + A Few Tips

Prime rib takes several hours of hands-off work, giving you plenty of time to pull together a few stovetop side dishes and some roasted vegetables that can cook alongside the roast. The prime rib roast should rest for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving, so make sure you have a simple appetizer and cocktail for guests when they arrive.

What to Drink

Champagne is a classic paring with smoked salmon and crème fraîche kettle chips and goes equally well with the flourless chocolate cake you've planned for dessert. For dinner you'll want to serve a red that complements the rare, fat-rich meat. A Cabernet Sauvignon or tannic Barbera pair beautifully with this roast.

What to Eat

The Sides

For balance at the table, a prime rib dinner needs potatoes, a green vegetable, a fresh, acidic salad, and something for soaking up delicious juices left from the roast. These garlicky red potatoes fulfill the potato component and can be finished in the oven as the roast rests, along with the popovers designed for soaking up those roast drippings.

On the stove this Brussels sprout hash with crispy sage and walnuts covers the green side dish role. Finally, this radicchio salad with green olives & Parmesan is a really unexpected delight on the table with its bright and briny flavors enhancing everything else on the plate.

The Roast

Prime rib roast is a quintessential holiday roast because it feeds a large crowd with much pomp and festivity, but it also happens to be one of the most hands-off roast recipes you can make. Basically you salt the roast, oven-sear it, then roast gently in a relatively low oven. Give yourself and the roast 30 minutes to rest before you slice it.

Dessert

You know the crème fraîche on top of your potato chip and smoked salmon appetizer? You should absolutely save some of that to serve on top of the best flourless chocolate cake. It's a simple and satisfying way to end a luxurious holiday dinner.