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.