Midweek Meals: Colm O'Gorman's Sunday Roasts are the main course - including a vegan option

Back in April, our Friday food columnist shared a series of Sunday roast specials with a world of flavours - perfect for get-togethers in the run-up to Christmas

Family get-togethers before Christmas? Sorted, with Colm O'Gorman's Sunday Roasts

Colm O'Gorman's Roast Chicken with a Lemon and Parmesan Crumb

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

Potato puree inspires a twist on a classic chicken recipe

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 44 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 4 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Roast Chicken

• 1 whole chicken, 1.6-1.8kg

• 2 tsp flaky sea salt

• ½ tsp garlic salt

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 lemon

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

• 75g grated parmesan cheese

• 25g dried panko breadcrumbs

• 25g melted butter

• Sweet Potato Puree

• 1kg sweet potatoes

• 40g butter

• 1 tsp flaky sea slat

• A good grind of black pepper

• Crispy Tender Stem Broccoli

• 250g tender stem broccoli

• 1 plump garlic clove

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tsp soy sauce

Method

1. Grate the zest of the lemon. Pop the sea salt, paprika, garlic salt, black pepper, thyme leaves and half of the zest into a bowl and combine well. Put the spatchcock chicken into a roasting tin, and starting with the underside, rub in the spice mixture, before turning it over and rubbing in the rest, making sure to work it into the skin and coat the bird all over. Let the chicken rest in the roasting tin for thirty minutes on a worktop, or a few hours in the fridge.

2. Heat your oven to 180 Celsius, and when the chicken is ready, pop it into the oven. Roast for twenty-five minutes while you get started on your sides and the crumb for the chicken.

3. Start by preparing the crumb. Melt the butter. Add the grated parmesan, panko breadcrumbs, the rest of the lemon zest and the melted butter to a bowl. Season with some flaky sea salt and ground black pepper and mix to combine thoroughly. Set aside for now.

4. Wash the sweet potatoes and cut a slit about two centimetres deep down the centre of each. I bake the sweet potato for the purée, and the simplest way to do this is in a microwave. Microwave on full power for at least fifteen minutes or until the potatoes are very soft and cooked through. The time needed to cook the potatoes will vary depending upon their size, but fifteen to twenty minutes will do it.

5. By now your chicken should have had its first twenty-five minutes in the oven. Remove the roasting tin from the oven and scatter the parmesan and lemon crumb over the top of the chicken, spreading it as evenly as possible over the breast and leg portions. Some of it will fall off into the tin, do not worry about that. It will combine with the juices from the chicken to give you delicious drippings to spoon over the meat. Cut the lemon into quarters and pop those into the tin. Put the roasting tin back in the oven for another twenty minutes. Turn the heat up to 200 Celsius for the final ten minutes.

6. Next, prep the broccoli. Peel and mince the garlic and wash the broccoli. Shake off any excess water and pop the broccoli into a bowl. Pour over the sesame oil and soy sauce and add the minced garlic. Toss the broccoli to get it well coated before placing it in the basket of your air fryer. Cook at 180 Celsius for five to eight minutes, tossing it a few times as it cooks. If you do not have an air fryer, you can roast the broccoli on a tray in the oven alongside the chicken for its final ten minutes at 200 Celsius. You will know it is ready when the florets are lightly charred and crispy, but the stems are still a little crisp.

7. While the broccoli is cooking, finish the sweet potato puree. Cut the potatoes down the centre lengthways. Hold the hot potatoes with a clean tea towel and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into a food processor. Add the butter, half a teaspoon of flaky sea salt and a good grind of black pepper. Blitz on high speed until the puree is silky smooth, adding a little milk to get the right consistency if required. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

8. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it rest on a board for a few minutes. Drain any juices from the board back into the tin and use a spatula to combine all the juices and bits of crumb to make your drippings. Place that in a bowl and let it sit to allow any excess fat to rise the surface. Remove the fat from the drippings with a spoon.

9. Use a sharp knife to portion the chicken. The legs and thighs will come away very easily, next, cut down the centre to separate the breasts, before cutting each breast into two portions. Put the chicken on a platter, add the roasted lemons and scatter the drippings over the top. Serve right away with the sweet potato puree and the crispy broccoli on the side.

Baharat Roast Beef with Chermoula

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

"I serve this beautiful spice-crusted joint of beef with roast potatoes and roasted whole cauliflower and it is fabulous for a special Sunday lunch."

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 25 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Middle Eastern

Ingredients

• Baharat Spice Blend

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 ½ tsp ground coriander

• 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp ground cardamon

• ½ tsp ground cloves

• Roast Beef

• 1 – 1.5kg Irish Angus beef sirloin joint

• 3 tbsp Baharat spice blend

• 1 tbsp flaky sea salt

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• Chermoula

• 20g fresh flat leaf parsley

• 20g fresh coriander

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp ground ginger powder

• 1 lemon

• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

Method

1. Remove the beef from the fridge about thirty minutes before you are ready to start cooking it. To make your Baharat spice blend, simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine them thoroughly.

2. Heat your oven to 180 Celsius. Next, heat an oven proof heavy based pan or a roasting tray over a high heat. Add just a little olive oil and sear the joint for a minute or two on all sides until it is browned all over.

3. Combine three tablespoons of baharat, one tablespoon of flaky sea salt and three tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. Spread this spice paste over the top of the seared joint of beef and pop it into the oven.

4. For medium-rare roast beef, roast the joint for 13 minutes per 500g. The best way to get perfectly cooked roast beef is to use a probe meat thermometer. Once the beef has had its cooking time in the oven, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the joint. Once it reads 38 Celsius, remove the joint from the oven and cover it loosely with some tin foil and rest it for thirty minutes. As it rests the internal temperature will continue to rise to about 51 Celsius which is perfect for medium rare beef. For medium-well done beef, roast the joint for 16 minutes per 500g until the internal temperature hits 48 Celsius. Again, let it rest for thirty minutes and the temperature will rise to about 65 Celsius.

5. If you are having roast potatoes with your beef, and you really should, pop those in at the same time as the beef. They will be well on their way to perfectly golden and crispy by the time you take the beef out of the oven, likely only needing another ten to fifteen minutes to be perfect. I usually blanch my potatoes in boiling water for ten minutes, and then toss them in some duck fat before roasting them for fifty to sixty minutes and that always gives me perfect results.

6. While the beef is resting, make the chermoula. Pop the herbs, garlic, spices, the zest of half a lemon and the juice of the whole lemon into a food processor. Pulse a few times to finely chop the garlic and herbs, and then pour the olive oil into the food processor as it runs briefly at medium speed. Do not over blitz the chermoula. It should retain a little texture, and not be super smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice of seasoning if required. This is not a hot sauce, instead the spice profile is warm and earthy which complements the baharat roast beef perfectly.

7. When the beef has rested, transfer it to a platter or carving board. Serve and serve at the table and spoon the chermoula over thin slices of this beautifully roasted spiced beef accompanied by your favourite sides.

Colm O'Gorman's Roast Chicken with Gochujang

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

I give the method for both air fryer and oven below, so do not be put off if you do not have an air fryer.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Korean

Ingredients

• 4 part boned chicken breasts

• 3 tbsp gochujang chilli paste

• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1-2 tsp Korean red pepper flakes

• Juice of half a lemon

• 40g pecan nuts

• 40g butter

• 30g dried cranberries

• 40g panko breadcrumbs

• Pinch flaky sea salt

• To Serve

• Buttery mashed potato

• Crispy tender stem broccoli

• Chopped spring onion

Method

1. Heat your oven or air fryer to 180 Celsius. Brush the skin of the chicken breasts with a little olive oil and pop them in to roast. While they are roasting, make the sauce for the chicken by combining the gochujang, tomato ketchup, maple syrup, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and the lemon juice in a small pan. Bring the sauce to a soft boil and then reduce to a simmer for three to four minutes.

2. If you are using an air fryer, take the chicken out of the fryer after then minutes and brush each piece over with some of the sauce. You just want to lightly coat the chicken; not smother it in sauce. If you use too much, the sauce will burn due to the sugars in the gochujang and maple syrup. A light brush of the sauce will add some lovely colour and flavour to the chicken, just lightly coat the chicken portions all over. Place the chicken back in the air fryer and cook until done. The air fryer method is quite fast, so you will only need another ten minutes to perfectly cook the chicken. Use a probe thermometer to check when you think it is ready. Just slid the probe into the thickest part of the breast and when it hits 74 degrees Celsius it is perfectly cooked. If you do not have a probe thermometer, slide a skewer into the breast of chicken and if the juices run clear, it is ready.

3. If you are roasting the chicken in an oven, give it twenty minutes before you remove it and brush on some of the sauce. Put it back in to roast some more, and check to see if it is done after another ten minutes. Give it a little longer if needed, but, at most, it should only need a total of thirty-five minutes in the oven.

4. While the chicken is roasting, roughly chop the pecans. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, and roast the chopped pecans for a few minutes until, they are fragrant and lightly toasted. Next, add the butter and when it beings to foam, pop in the dried cranberries and the panko breadcrumbs. Stir until the breadcrumbs and toasted and golden, about two to three minutes will do it. Add a pinch of flaky sea salt, and taste. I usually add a splash of lemon juice at this stage to just to add some freshness and balance out the butter and the sweetness of the cranberries. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for now.

5. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the air fryer and rest it for a few minutes while you warm up the sauce. Place a dollop of creamy mash on the centre of each of four plates and place a piece of chicken on top. Spoon over just a little of the sauce, and then divide the crumb across the four plates, sprinkling it over the chicken and the mash. Garnish with a little chopped spring onion and serve immediately with the remaining sauce and crispy tender stem broccoli on the side.

Colm O'Gorman's Tandoori Leg of Lamb with Bombay Potatoes

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

I serve this with parsnips and carrots that I toss in a splash of olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, and a teaspoon of honey, roasted in my air fryer at 190 Celsius for about twenty minutes.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 4 hours 20 mins

Cooking Time

 3 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 7 hours 20 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 European/Middle-Eastern

Ingredients

• Tandoori Lamb:

• 1 half leg of lamb, about 1.5kg

• 1tbsp ground coriander

• 1tbsp ground cumin

• 2tsp turmeric powder

• 2tsp chilli powder

• 2tsp garam masala

• 2tsp flaky sea salt

• 1tsp fresh ground black pepper

• 25g fresh ginger root

• 4 cloves garlic

• 200g Greek yoghurt

• Juice of half a lemon

• 2 onions

• Bombay Potatoes:

• 1kg baby new potatoes

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 20g butter

• 1 tsp mustard seed

• 1 tsp Cumin Seed

• 3 green cardamon

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 onion

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 red chilli

• 200g cherry tomatoes

• Handful fresh coriander

• Juice of half a lemon

• To serve:

• Fresh coriander, fresh lemon wedges and sliced red chilli.

• Yoghurt and Mint Sauce

• 300ml Greek yoghurt

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 20g fresh mint

• 1 tsp honey

• Juice of half a lemon

Method

1. Start by preparing the lamb. Trim away any excess fat and cut slashes about 2cm crossways into the meat. Next, make the tandoori marinade.

2. Combine the spices, yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger in a bowl, mixing it into a smooth paste. Put the lamb in large casserole or roasting tin and add the marinade. Use your hands to rub the paste all over the meat, working it into the scores, this will help get all those delicious spices into the meat as it slowly roasts. Cover the lamb and place it in the fridge to marinade for at least four hours. You can prepare the lamb the day before you cook and allow it to marinade in the fridge overnight if you wish.

3. When you are ready to cook the lamb, preheat your oven to 160 Celsius. Peel and cut the onions into thick slices and scatter them over the bottom of large cast iron casserole. Place the leg of lamb and the marinade on top of the onions. Pop on the lid and put the dish into the oven. If you do not have a casserole dish, you can use a roasting tray, covered with a double layer of tin foil. Roast for two hours, and then check the lamb. By now a decent quantity of cooking juices and liquid should have developed in the casserole. If it looks a little dry, add 200 ml of water to the casserole, pop the lid back on and roast the lamb for another forty-five minutes.

4. Next, start cooking the potatoes. Boil them in some salted water for fifteen minutes until they are just cooked. While they are boiling, finely chop the onion, peel and grate the garlic and ginger. Wash the red chili and cherry tomatoes. Deseed and chop the chili, cut the tomatoes into quarters. When the potatoes are ready, drain those into a colander.

5. Heat a heavy based frying pan over a high heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter starts to foam, add the cumin and mustard seeds, and the cardamom pods. Lightly bruise the pods to open them before you pop them into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the turmeric, chili, onions, and the garlic. Cook for three minutes and then add the tomatoes and potatoes. Stir everything together to coat the potatoes. Use a potato masher to gently squash, but not mash, the potatoes. Just lightly press them to break the skin and open the potatoes up a little. Remove from the heat and transfer to a roasting tin.

6. When the lamb has had its latest forty-five minutes in the oven, take it out and remove the meat from the casserole dish. Turn the oven up to 200 Celsius. Carefully drain the juices and onions from the casserole dish into a small saucepan, return the lamb to the dish and return it to the oven for fifteen minutes until the crust of marinade on top of the meat starts to char a little and darken.

7. Put the tray of potatoes in the oven at the same time. You will roast the spuds until they are crispy and golden on top.

8. Use a stick blender to blitz the onions and cooking juices into a sauce, adding a little water if you need to thin it out a bit. Add a splash of lemon juice and bring the sauce to a soft boil. Taste and add a little more lemon juice if required.

9. Remove the lamb from the oven and let the meat rest on a board for ten minutes. When the potatoes are ready, remove those from the oven and transfer to a warm serving platter. Drizzle with some fresh lemon juice and scatter a handful of chopped fresh coriander over the top.

10. Make the yoghurt and mint sauce just before you are ready to serve. Wash and finely shred the mint leaves, discarding the stalks. Combine the chopped herbs with all the other ingredients in a bowl. Taste and add more lemon or honey if required.

11. Transfer the lamb to another serving dish, spoon over some of the sauce and scatter with some chopped coriander and thinly sliced chili. Serve with some fresh lemon wedges, more of the tandoori sauce, and the mint and yogurt sauce on the side.

Roast Stuffed Celeriac with Horseradish Cream

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

Use soy yogurt if you want to go fully vegan. If you happen to have some cranberry sauce, serve that on the side as well.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Roast Celeriac

• 1 large celeriac

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Flaky sea salt

• 1 tsp cumin seed

• 1 onion

• 3 cloves garlic

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• 150g sweet potato

• 75g roasted hazelnuts

• 150g tinned cooked green lentils

• 75g dried cranberries

• A few sprigs of fresh thyme

• Horseradish cream

• 250g Greek yoghurt

• 2-3 tbsp horseradish sauce

• 1 tsp honey

• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

• Juice of half a lemon

Method

1. Cut away the roots from the end of the celeriac and scrub the skin clean under running cold water. Dry it off with some kitchen towel and trim the bottom so that it can stand on its end. Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius for a fan oven, or 200 Celsius for a conventional oven.

2. Stand the celeriac in the centre of a large piece of foil and rub it all over with one tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle over a little flaky sea salt and wrap the celeriac in the foil, closing the top over to seal it in. Roast in the oven for one hour.

3. Peel and cut the sweet potato into 1cm chunks. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the sweet potato until it is tender, about eight minutes will do it. Drain into a colander and set aside.

4. Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and mince the cloves of garlic. Roughly chop the roasted hazelnuts. Drain the tin of cooked lentils and weigh out 150g.

5. Heat a heavy based non-stick pan over a high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and fry that for three to four minutes until it softens. Add the cumin seed, the garlic and the nutmeg and fry for another two minutes, stirring all the time. Next, stir in the cooked sweet potato, the hazelnuts, lentils, and the dried cranberries. Cook for a few minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside for now.

6. When the celeriac has had one hour in the oven, remove it from roasting tray. Cut off the top to give you a lid about 3-4cm think. Next, use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to scoop out the celeriac flesh, leaving a 1-2cm wall and being careful not to break through the skin, and leaving at least a 1cm thick base. Roughly chop the scooped-out flesh and add that to the pan of stuffing. Pick the leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme and stir that in as well. Taste and season as required.

7. Put the hollowed-out celeriac back in the foil and spoon in the stuffing. You will have more than you need, so just pile it on the top and allow the extra stuffing to fall around the sides. Op the lid back on the celeriac and seal it in the foil once again. Pop it back in the oven to roast for one more hour. When it has just fifteen minutes left to go, unwrap the foil to allow the celeriac skin to become golden.

8. Put the ingredients for the horseradish cream in a bowl and whisk to combine. I like my horseradish cream to have a bit of a kick, but you can adjust to your own taste. If you want it a little milder, add the horseradish gradually, tasting as you go until you get it just perfect. You can also add a little more salt or honey if you wish.

9. Serve the celeriac on a warm platter, with the extra stuffing around the edges and the horseradish cream, and some cranberry sauce if you have any, on the side. Serve with crispy roast potatoes and delicious green vegetables such as tender stem broccoli for a Sunday Roast to remember.