An expertly crafted roast dinner to round of Food Week

Edited BY

G P Kennedy

  

Chicken Roast Dinner by Simon

 

Hey all looks like its food week, which is my favorite subject at the best of times!

 

Last Sunday in Oz was Fathers Day so we went out for lunch, which meant that I didn’t get to cook. To compensate for this I am cooking Roast Chicken last night, which is one of my favorite meals and one that I have cooked so many times, I do it on autopilot while listening to music and having a few beers. No flash recipe here but here is what we had and I’ll explain how I did it-

 

Roast Chicken.

Pigs in blankets.

Roast potatoes and carrots.

Cauliflower, parsnip and roast garlic puree.

Brussels sprouts, broccoli and green beans.

Home made gravy.

 

First thing is to work out the finish time and count back.

 

2.2 kg whole chicken so say 2 hours cook time. This was roasted with garlic, rosemary and lemon placed inside. Lay this on a bed of garlic and rosemary and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil and then season. Place breast side down in the dish to stay moist and do the same with the underside. Pour about a glass of white wine in the dish so id doesn’t stick and will create some steam. In it goes, baste once or twice and turn after 75 mins so it finishes right side up. Cover and rest for 10 mins when done and pour off all the juices and add to gravy (minus the oil).

 

Peel waxy potatoes into good size chunks and par boil for around 10 mins. Rinse and shake about in the sieve to remove all water. Leave to steam and cool down for 10 mins so they get dry and shake about to rough up the edges. 

 In the meantime add half olive oil and half veg oil to a roasting tin with seasoning and heat in oven (180c same as for chicken) for 10 mins to heat up. Add cooling potatoes to hot oil in tray and put back in oven. Shake a few times in first 10 mins so they don’t stick. These will take about 75 mins and turn over a few times. About 45 mins from finish time add whole chunks of peeled raw carrot to tray and shake around.

Pigs in blankets are chipolata pork sausages wrapped in streaky bacon and held together with cocktail sticks. Roast on baking paper on a tray for around 45 mins and turn a few times.

 

Parsnip, cauliflower and roast garlic puree can be made in advance and freezes well. Its great with roasts as well as fish. Steam the veg until tender and leave to steam dry. Roast 1 or 2 whole bulbs of garlic in the oven-drizzle with olive oil and wrap with foil and roast in medium oven for about an hour. Remove from foil and cool it down for a while then squeeze with heavy knife or rolling pin and the garlic comes out like toothpaste.

 

Add the cauliflower, parsnips and garlic to a blender. Season well and add some cream and a good bit of grated nutmeg. Blend until smooth and pass through a sieve. Make ahead of time and reheat when required.

 

Brussels sprouts take about 15-20 mins to cook and the broccoli and beans about 5.

 

Gravy. I tend to get 1 liter of good chicken stock and heat up, I add 2 chopped onions and 1 carrot. A few torn up mushrooms and a celery stick. Also add a bunch of fresh herbs-thyme, rosemary and parsley as well as bay leaves. Add a glass or 2 of white wine and 1 tbsp. of tomato puree. Cook it down gently for an hour or 2 and strain. If you like it thicker add some cornflour.

 

I do sometimes change things around but this is basically it. Best eaten with your nearest and dearest in front of an open fire while the rain and wind lash at the windows outside.

 

My kids are 10 and 12 but later when they are older I would love them to ring up and say, "Dad, can you do Roast Chicken? We are coming over!"