A simple Sunday roast

As semester one comes to an end, many of us will be embracing the festive season and holding flat Christmas dinners before parting with our pals. After the year we’ve all had, none of us need an excuse to don a paper crown and tuck into a heart-warming roast!

With that in mind, here’s a simple Roast Lamb recipe- with all the trimmings. You could easily swap out the lamb for any other roast meat.

If you’re hosting a Christmas themed dinner, swap the lamb for turkey and make sure to include pigs and blankets.

If you’re vegetarian or vegan, substitute the roast meat for your favourite vegan or vegetarian pies/sausages.

You could add different vegetables too, such as: roasted parsnips, Brussels sprouts, sautéed cabbage or kale. You could also swap roast potatoes for mash. Or have both…there’s no judgement here.

Yorkshire puddings would also be perfect for this recipe.

This recipe is best enjoyed with a bit of Bublé playing in the background. There’s a lot of components to this dinner, so it’s a good idea to partner up and make it with someone else.

Ingredients 

1x Lamb breast (use more if you’re cooking for a larger group, 1 breast can feed about 2 people)

Potatoes (cut into quarters)

Carrots (cut into short, thin strips)

Tenderstem broccoli

Cauliflower cheese

  Gravy of your choice

Mint sauce

How to prepare the lamb

1. Heat your oven to 200c.
2. Season your lamb breast with a healthy pinch of salt and a generous crack of black pepper.
3. Rub in a good glug of olive oil.
4. Season with a touch of rosemary (this can be fresh or dried).
5. Roast in the oven for 45-55 minutes.

  How to prepare the veg 

1. Cut your carrots into long, thin strips.
2. Trim the broccoli stems.
3. Cut the cauliflower into florets and place to one side.
4. Place both the carrots and the broccoli on an oven proof tray, sprinkle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
5. Roast in the oven at 200oc for 10-15 minutes.

How to prepare the cauliflower cheese

1. Boil your cauliflower florets until tender (around 5-10 minutes)
2. Half an onion and insert two cloves into it.
3. Put a pint of milk into a pan along with the onion, simmer for 5 minutes and then leave to stew for around 20 minutes (this stage is optional but gives the cheese sauce a nice flavour boost)
4. In a pan, combine 50g butter and 50g of plain flour. Heat these on a medium-low heat, whilst stirring until they form a paste. This is a roux.
5. Remove the onion from the milk and slowly add it to the roux. Whisk until it forms a smooth sauce.
6. Melt in some sharp cheddar cheese (around 80g but it depends how cheesey you like it).
7. Season with a decent amount of salt and pepper. You could also add a teaspoon of mustard.
8. Combine the cauliflower florets and the cheese sauce.
9. If you have some extra time on your hands, put the cauliflower cheese into an oven proof dish, scatter with some more cheddar and bake in the oven till it’s golden and bubbling.

How to prepare the potatoes 

1. Cut your potatoes into quarters and place them into a pan of salted, boiling water.

   

2. Boil until soft (stab them with a fork to check)
3. Drain the potatoes and place them into an oven-proof dish.
4. Cover the potatoes with a generous amount of oil, season with salt and pepper.
5. Scatter some crushed garlic cloves amongst the potatoes. This will infuse them with a great garlicky flavour.
6. Cook these at 200c till they’re golden and crispy.

How to prepare the gravy

This one depends on personal preference. You can make your gravy easily by just combining gravy granules with boiling water. You could also pair it with an onion gravy.

The key is to get the timings on all the different components right. Which is why it’s helpful to have an extra pair of hands.

Once everything is roasted to perfection, serve with lashings of gravy and mint sauce to taste.