Caitríona Redmond: Roast chicken with herb dressing & crispy root veg — a kitchen staple
Roast chicken with herb dressing & crispy root veg
There are staples that I pop into my trolley every week without even thinking.
These are the ingredients that shore up my food budget; I know will be great value and we will definitely eat them and use them in full by the time I go to the shop again.
It strikes me that, while I talk a lot about swaps that a family living on less can make, or ingredient suggestions, I don’t talk about the humdrum purchases that provide the foundations for my family meals.
These unsung heroes of my shopping trolley are my reliable way to keep the bank balance out of the red and save me from overthinking the price of food each week.
It’s not that I’m complacent, I understand that the price of food fluctuates, but even if these foodstuffs vary in price a lot I can still justify buying and using them frequently.
When shopping in the dairy aisle I will always buy milk, butter, and cheese. From slathering on toast to baking, adding to mash, and a myriad of other uses, butter is a must.
I only ever buy supermarket brand milk and butter because there’s little difference in quality from one supermarket to another.
Irish dairy is amongst the best in the world and without a doubt we are spoiled for choice.
Buying private label/own brand butter is a very simple way to cut back on the grocery bill.
Yesterday one of the teens grabbed a pound of butter for me in the supermarket and I think he lost the run of himself.
He spent a fortune on a well-known brand name, and I have learned the need to be more specific in future when I send him to the shops for messages!
The carbohydrates in this house come from four main sources that I keep in plentiful supply. Bread is either a made from scratch wholemeal loaf or a sliced pan from the supermarket for sandwiches.
My lot have become picky and absolutely love a decent sourdough, one of the few things I don’t bake at home.
It’s an expensive choice meaning we indulge once a month or so and manage with conventional sliced loaves in between.
Rice, I buy in bulk and replenish the stores when it runs out.
A 5kg bag will last us about 6-8 weeks so I put aside a few cents every week to go towards that big bill.
Pasta is a brilliant value source of energy because it’s simple to store and cook, buying supermarket label (own brand) can save a fortune when doing your weekly shop.
Finally, and the most important purchase is a bag of Irish spuds.
I know the price has increased quite a bit lately due to poor ground conditions for several years in a row.
Still, we need to support farmers because there is nothing quite like a bowl of fluffy mash or crispy roast potatoes.
If we don’t support our producers, we may struggle to buy the spuds when we need them in the future.
If your storage boxes and bags have acquired a tan or taken on a slightly orange residue from carrying tomato and carrot-based sauces, no fear: I have a few solutions for you to consider.
There’s nothing wrong with that light tint, it just makes me feel like my boxes aren’t clean enough and that is motivation to take them to task.
The simplest option will solve most fake tanned lunchboxes. Pour a cup of plain vinegar into a basin and fill up to three-quarters with cold water.
Submerge the affected lunchboxes and weigh them down with a tin of beans to stop them from popping to the top.
Leave the boxes to soak overnight and then wash as normal with dish soap in the morning.
For more pesky stains, make a paste with 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda, a half teaspoon of table salt and a half tablespoon of water.
Rub the paste all over the box with a soft cloth and leave to dry for a few hours before washing as normal.
Hopefully either option will banish weary lunchboxes and give your stores a refresh.
If you simply can’t stand your boxes getting stained, I highly recommend moving to glass boxes instead.
Use cheaper chicken pieces like leg, thigh, or wing rather than a whole roast chicken to keep this meal budget friendly. Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Total Time Course Ingredients 1kg chicken thighs (on the bone and skin on) 1kg skin on baby potatoes, chopped into quarters 300g carrots, peeled and chopped lengthways 200g parsnips, peeled and chopped lengthways 1 bulb of garlic, sliced in half 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped into quarters For the dressing: 75ml olive oil 4-5 stalks fresh thyme 1 stalk fresh rosemary 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper Method Preheat a fan oven to 180°C. Take a large, heavy baking dish and sit it onto a hob. Make sure it is heatproof and suitable to use on the hob first. Heat the hob to medium high and place the dry chicken thighs skin side down onto the baking dish to sear for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the hob and then add the vegetables to the baking dish. Pour 40ml of olive oil into the baking dish on top of the vegetables, along with 3 stalks of fresh thyme and strip some leaves from the rosemary stalk (reserving some for later). Stir the contents of the baking dish well then right the chicken thighs to skin side up. Then place baking dish into the oven to roast for 1 hour. Chop the remaining leaves of thyme and rosemary finely (discarding the stalks) and combine with the remaining olive oil and a little salt. Alternatively, blitz the leaves with the oil and seasoning in a mini food processor. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the tray from the oven and drizzle the cooked meal with herb oil before serving.Roast chicken with herb dressing & crispy root veg
