TV TABLE TRAY SET RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1.
• Put the carrots, celery and onion in a roasting tray and place the chicken on top. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon and herbs, then drizzle with the oil, rubbing it into the skin. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Roast the chicken for 3 hours, basting the skin with the juices halfway through. Increase the oven temperature to its highest setting and continue to roast the chicken for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the skin. Remove it from the roasting tray and check it is cooked through (see tips), then set aside on a platter to rest for 10-15 minutes. Reserve the vegetables and cooking juices in the roasting tray.
• Meanwhile, for the gravy, strain the reserved vegetables and cooking juices through a fine sieve into a saucepan, squeezing the vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon to extract maximum flavour. Add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil.
• Put the roasting tray over a low heat and add the butter. As the butter melts, scrape up any burned bits from the bottom of the tray using a wooden spoon. Whisk in the flour until it forms a paste.
• Gradually pour the hot roasting juices and stock back into the roasting tray, whisking after each addition, until all the liquid is incorporated and the gravy has thickened. Season with a little salt. Heat until just bubbling, then continue to cook the gravy, stirring well, for 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt.
• Strain the gravy through a sieve into a serving jug. Keep warm. Just before serving, stir any juices released by the rested chicken in to the gravy.
• To serve, carve the roast chicken at the table and serve with roasted vegetables and potatoes. Drizzle with the gravy.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the flour in a shallow dish large enough for the whole fish. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish to lightly coat and set aside.
• In a saute pan large enough to fit the whole fish, heat the clarified butter over medium-high heat. When the fat begins to lightly smoke, place the fish in the pan and cook, without moving, until browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the fish over and repeat on the other side. Transfer the fish to the oven on a sheet tray fitted with a rack. Cook until tender and cooked through at the thickest part of the spine, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Heat the same saute pan with the high-fat butter it butter begins to lightly brown. Add the lemon juice (as much or as little as you like) to stop the cooking. Add the capers and finish with the parsley. Taste the sauce and season if necessary with more pepper but not salt because of the capers.
• Rest the fish, then serve whole with the sauce poured over the top.