6 minute read
Get Roasted
RECIPES & IMAGES KATHY PATERSON
It’s winter, the time of year to turn on the oven and get roasting. Meat, vegetables and winter fruits all shine when roasted, intensifying flavour and a savoury presence. Incidentally, I’m with British food writer Nigel Slater, I too will find any excuse to roast a potato.
THE ESSENTIAL ROAST CHICKEN
SERVES 6 (IF SERVED WITH PLENTY OF VEGETABLES)
1 x free-range chicken (size 14) 50g butter, softened 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley 2 tsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped, plus 3 extra small sprigs finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper
SAGE STUFFING
25g butter, softened 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped 2–3 thick slices sourdough bread 2 tbsp fresh walnuts, very roughly chopped, or use toasted hazelnuts
JACKET POTATOES
6 medium roasting potatoes, scrubbed oil and salt for rubbing
CHICKEN GRAVY
2 tbsp plain flour 2 cups chicken stock or more if needed (you can also use vegetable cooking water to replace stock) salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 180°C. Pat the chicken dry using kitchen paper. In a small bowl, combine the butter, herbs and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Gently work your fingers under the skin of the chicken to loosen it, being careful not to tear it. Nudge the butter and herb mixture into the chicken, rubbing all over the breast meat and then down towards the leg joints, then put your hand on the outer skin and smooth and tease it out so the mixture is spread as evenly as possible. Make the sage stuffing, in a small bowl. Combine the butter, garlic and chopped sage leaves. Spread the butter over the bread slices then cut into cubes.
Put the chicken in a roasting dish and stuff the bread cubes into the cavity along with the walnuts or hazelnuts. Squeeze the lemon juice over the skin of the chicken and sprinkle with a little salt. Pull the legs together and tie with kitchen string. Tie the wings to the breast or simply tuck them under. Scatter the sage sprigs around. Rub each potato with oil and salt and put around the chicken. Put in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting a couple of times by spooning the juices over the chicken. You can check if the chicken is cooked by piercing the thigh with a small sharp knife. The juices should run clear.
Remove the chicken from the oven and put on a warmed plate. Cover with foil and a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes while you make the gravy. To make the gravy, add the flour to the roasting dish and put over medium heat. Cook until the flour begins to colour, stirring with a wooden spoon to release any sticky and crispy bits left from cooking the chicken to add flavour and colour to your gravy. Gradually pour in the stock or vegetable water, stirring continuously to prevent lumps forming until lightly thickened and glossy. Season with salt. (If you have a few lumps, strain the gravy through a sieve into a warmed jug for serving.) Serve with oven-roasted jacket potatoes or kumara and plenty of vegetables. Tip – any extra stuffing can be put into a small dish and roasted until crisp in the oven.
COOKING TIPS
You can turn the chicken during cooking for extra-moist breast meat. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes on its breast then turn every 15 minutes. Finish with the breast upwards to brown. Tying the legs together with string helps the chicken to cook more evenly. You can add wine to your gravy – splash some wine into the roasting dish and let it boil to remove the alcohol. Scrape the bottom and sides of the roasting dish at the same time to scrape up all those delicious sticky, crusty bits that will add an awesome flavour.
THE ESSENTIAL LEG OF LAMB
SERVES 8 WITH PLENTY OF VEGETABLES AND SOME LEFTOVER COLD LAMB FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY
2–2.3kg (or thereabouts) leg of lamb 4 cloves garlic, crushed 4 tbsp olive oil finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp dried oregano 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs for scattering salt 8 medium floury potatoes, such as Agria, peeled and cut in half a few lemon slices
Put the leg of lamb in a roasting dish (one large enough to hold the potatoes as well in a single layer), and using a small, sharp knife make small, shallow slits in the lamb skin.
Mix together the garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, dried oregano and fresh thyme and spoon over the lamb. Loosely cover with baking paper or foil and leave to sit for about an hour to allow the lamb to return to room temperature and for the flavours to mingle. Heat the oven to 180°C. Lift the cover and drizzle the lemon juice over the lamb, sprinkle with a little salt, then roast in the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes for lamb that is just a little pink. After 45 minutes remove the paper or foil cover and put in the prepared potatoes to roast alongside the lamb, scattering around a few lemon slices as well. There is no need to cover the lamb again as you want it to brown now. Baste the lamb and potatoes a couple of times during cooking with the meat juices. Remove the lamb from the oven, scatter over extra thyme leaves, cover with foil and a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 15–20 minutes before carving.
TO ROAST THE POTATOES
Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil then boil for 5 minutes. Drain and dry off well over the heat, shaking the saucepan to prevent sticking. Using a clean tea towel to help you, hold each potato piece and scuff up with a fork. Once all
potatoes are nicely scuffed and still hot, transfer them to the roasting dish with the lamb. Turn them in the meat juices before returning roasting dish to the oven and cook for an hour.
BASTING TIP
Remove the lamb from the oven for basting and close the oven door so the oven temperature doesn’t drop.
CARVING TIP
Carve the lamb with a sharp carving knife, carving across the grain of the meat for tender slices. To begin carving, cut a large wedge from the meat at the knuckle end. Slice thin slices down towards the bone. Run knife under lamb slices to release.
LEFTOVER TIPS
The most obvious is lamb sandwiches for lunch the next day. Mince the lamb or cut very finely and make fritters or rissoles.
Kathy Paterson
Kathy Paterson is a recipe developer, food stylist and photographer. A plentiful herb garden and a trial and error vegetable garden give Kathy the starting place for her recipes along with her love of the classics with a modern twist.
www.kathypaterson.co.nz
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