Let’s reinvent the roast

This classic doesn’t need to cost loads or take hours. Try these quick, affordable twists on the Sunday tradition

Acrispy roast chicken with all the trimmings. A nut roast like only Mum knows how. Or perfectly pink beef with fluffy Yorkshires. We all have our own way of serving up a Sunday roast – but there’s no denying that, when done properly, it’s quite a commitment. So we’re shaking things up with savvy ideas to tackle the ritual – including a way to make it so easy that you can whip it up on a Monday night. Enjoy!

Satay Chicken With Spring Onion Roasties

Serves 6 freeze cooked chicken

Takes 1 hr Cost per serve 80p

1kg pack skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs

1.25kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and halved, or quartered if large

4 tbsp vegetable oil

4 spring onions, fnely sliced coriander leaves and sliced red chilli, to serve (optional)

For the satay sauce

4 tbsp smooth peanut butter

200g tin coconut milk

2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce

2 limes, 1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges

1 tbsp clear honey

2 tsp mild curry powder

1 Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Mix the satay sauce ingredients in a bowl to combine. Put the chicken, skin-side up, in a roasting tin and coat in the sauce. Roast for 45 mins, basting once, until the skin is crisp and the chicken is tender. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 10-15 mins.

2 Meanwhile, simmer the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 10 mins. Drain, then leave for a few mins in the colander. Put the oil in a shallow roasting tray and pop in the oven for 5-10 mins until very hot.

3 Remove the tray from the oven and add the potatoes, spacing apart and basting in the oil; season. Cook above the chicken for 30-35 mins, turning halfway, until golden brown. Stir in most of the spring onions for the last 5 mins.

4 Spoon the potatoes into a serving dish and scatter over the reserved spring onions. Serve the chicken scattered with coriander and chilli, if using, with lime wedges alongside. Each serving contains

A VEGGIE HERO a pinch of salt for 20 mins, stirring regularly, until caramelised.

Serves 6 freeze gravy

Takes 1 hr Cost per serve 45p

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 long, thin carrots, scrubbed and halved lengthways

1 red onion, cut into thin wedges

200g butternut squash, peeled and sliced into 1cm-thick half-moons

3 garlic cloves, bashed

100g plain flour

4 large eggs

125ml milk

2 rosemary sprigs, fnely chopped

100g Tenderstem broccoli

1 tsp balsamic vinegar mashed or roast potatoes (optional)

For the gravy

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 red onions, fnely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp plain flour

1 vegetable stock cube, made up to 650ml

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 For the gravy, heat the oil in a saucepan over a low-medium heat and fry the onions, uncovered, with

2 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Put the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan, shallow casserole dish or baking tray. Add the carrot, onion, squash, and garlic. Season; toss well. Roast for 15 mins.

3 Whisk the four and eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt until a smooth, thick paste forms. Gradually add the milk, whisking to make a thin batter with a similar consistency to single cream. Stir in the rosemary.

4 For the gravy, add the garlic to the onions and cook for 1 min, then sprinkle over the four and mix well. Stir in the stock, season and add the vinegar. Simmer, uncovered, over a low heat for about 20 mins.

5 Remove the pan from the oven, add the broccoli and pour the batter around the veg. Roast for 25 mins until golden, well risen and puffed. Brush any exposed veg with the vinegar. Serve with the gravy and some potatoes, if you like.

Perfect For Two

PORK WITH APPLE & SWEET POTATO

Serves 2

Takes 40 mins Cost per serve £1.81

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 450g), scrubbed and cut into wedges

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp clear honey

270g pack pork loin steaks

2 red eating apples, cored and cut into wedges

1 small head of broccoli, cut into forets

1 Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Put the potato wedges in a large roasting tin and drizzle over 1 tbsp oil. Season well and toss. Roast for 10-15 mins until the wedges are starting to soften.

2 Mix the remaining 1 tbsp oil with the mustard and honey in a bowl. Season the pork. Add the apple and pork to the tin; pour the mustard sauce over the pork. Roast for 15 mins until the pork is cooked.

COOK’S

If you prefer more colour on your chops, you can crisp up the fat under the grill for 1-2 mins before serving.

3 Steam the broccoli for 8-10 mins until the stems are tender. Serve alongside the pork and the wedges. Each serving contains of the reference intake. See page 97. Carbohydrate 67g Protein 37g Fibre 14g

September harvest