Even though we are trying to reduce the amount of meat we eat, every now and then we like to have a roast dinner. In this particular occasion we had family coming over and everyone was very pleased with the results.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken + extra thighs picked up from the butchers in a large container (we used a cake tin)
- swedes (from our veg box)
- parsnips (from our veg box)
- potatoes (from our veg box)
- green beans (these came from a frozen beans bag that we already had but you can use any greens you have available loose from the supermarket/farmers' market)
- salt, pepper, spices and herbs (whatever you like to use to season your chicken)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. In the meantime, rub olive oil, salt, pepper, herbs and spices all over the chicken and place in a large baking tray. When the oven is hot, roast the chicken for 1-2 hours depending on size. It will be ready when the juices run clear. Here is a link on tips for roasting chicken.
Peel and cut the potatoes in half/quarters depending on the size. Place them in a large baking tray with high sides and cover in olive or sunflower oil, add salt and rosemery for flavour. Roast in the oven at 180-200ºC for 1-2 hours depending on size, until they are brown on the edges and crispy.
Cut the swede into 1-2cm thick cubes and boil in a pot of water with a pinch of salt. When soft (you can check if they squash under a fork), mash them using a potato masher, add a pinch of salt and pepper to your swede mash.
Cut the parsnips lengthways and lay them out on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and an abundant drizzle of honey. Roast in the oven at 200ºC for about 45 minutes until golden.
Boil or steam your greens and season with olive oil or butter.
This recipe is highly adaptable. You can pick up any cut of meat from the butcher's and cook it accordingly. You can use different vegetables depending on what is available to you. For us, it really makes sense to have a vegetable box delivered as we don't drive and it helps fight against food waste as we use Oddbox. It also means we tend to eat seasonally whenever possible.