✩ 2kg (4½lb) Maris Piper potatoes, cut into large chunks ✩ 3 bashed garlic cloves ✩ 1 bay leaf ✩ 100ml olive oil ✩ 3 tbsp fresh woody thyme, torn ✩ 1 lemon cut into thick wedges 1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/R6. Boil the potatoes, garlic and bay for 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a large roasting tin until smoking hot. 2 Tip the hot potatoes into the hot oil. Roast for 30 minutes, scatter over the thyme and squeeze over the lemon. Roast for another 30 minutes until crisp.
TipThe secret to the perfect roast potato is to fluff them up to get lots of rough edges and add the hot potatoes to really hot fat
before, cool and chill. On the day, cover with foil and cook for 10 minutes until bubbling
Glazed carrots
✩ 50g (2oz) butter, softened ✩ Zest ½ orange ✩ 1 tbsp orange juice ✩ 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley ✩ 2 tsp runny honey ✩ 1 tsp wholegrain mustard ✩ 800g (1lb 11oz) carrots, halved lengthways 1 Combine the butter, zest, juice, parsley, honey and mustard. Season well. 2 Steam the carrots for 10 minutes or until just tender. Dot with the seasoned butter to serve.
1 Melt the butter in a pan, add the garlic, leeks and parsnips. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the wine, season, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream. 2 Transfer to a 2 litre shallow gratin dish and scatter with Parmesan. Bake at 200ºC/R6 for 10-15 minutes. Scatter with parsley and serve.
Sprouts with pancetta
✩ 2 x 65g (2½oz) packs pancetta cubes ✩ 50g (2oz) pine nuts ✩ 1kg (2¼lb) sprouts, peeled and trimmed ✩ 1 tbsp butter ✩ 3 tbsp chopped parsley 1 Dry-fry the pancetta for 5 minutes until golden. Add the pine nuts and cook for a few more minutes. Set to one side. 2 Steam the sprouts for just under 10 minutes until tender and tip into a warmed serving dish. Dot with the butter, scatter with the pancetta and pine nuts and then sprinkle with parsley.