CHRISTMAS POTATOES RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  2. Scrub the sweet potatoes, pat dry, then rub with a little olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roast on a baking tray for about 40 minutes, or until cooked through (or prick with a fork and cook in the microwave for 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender).
  3. Finely grate the lemon zest into a small bowl and mix in the yoghurt, turmeric and cumin. Leave at room temperature until needed.
  4. Scrub the carrot, radishes and beetroot, peel the onion and core the apple. In this order, carefully push the carrot, radishes, red onion, apple and beetroot through the grating blade of your food processor, or coarsely grate by hand, then tip into a bowl.
  5. Mix the veg with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
  6. A few minutes before your potatoes are ready, toast the seeds in a small frying pan on a medium heat for 2 minutes, or until smelling fantastic. At this point, add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (if using) and let it bubble until it starts to thicken, then take off the heat. Carefully pour onto a sheet of greaseproof paper, leave to cool and don’t touch!
  7. Cut a cross in the top of your cooked potatoes and gently break them open with a fork, mashing a little of the inside as you go.
  8. Spoon over a good dollop of the spiced yoghurt, followed by the juicy grated salad, and the seeds. Serve with the rocket scattered over.

Steps:

• 1. If you’re cooking your veg separately, rather than with my perfect roast chicken, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
  2. Peel the vegetables, halving any larger ones lengthways. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled, and bash them slightly with the palm of your hand. Pick the rosemary leaves.
  3. Put the potatoes and carrots into a large pan – you may need to use two – of boiling salted water on a high heat and bring back to the boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then add the parsnips and cook for another 4 minutes.
  4. Drain in a colander and allow to steam dry. Take out the carrots and parsnips and put to one side.
  5. Fluff up the potatoes in the colander by shaking it around a little – it’s important to ‘chuff them up’ like this if you want them to have all those lovely crispy bits when they’re cooked.
  6. Put a large roasting tray over a medium heat and either add a few generous lugs of olive oil or carefully spoon a little of the fat from the meat you’re cooking, and add the garlic and rosemary.
  7. Tip the vegetables into the tray, season with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper and turn the veg over to coat them in the flavours. Spread them out evenly into one layer – this is important, as you want them to roast, not steam as they will if you have them all on top of each other.
  8. Roast for 1 hour, or until golden and crisp, then serve immediately with your roast and some delicious gravy.