From gammon to a zesty roast chicken, dazzle your tastebuds this festive season with these three delicious roast recipes.  

Lemony roast chicken with gravy 

Serves 8 // Preparation and cooking time 2 hours

Ingredients  

20g thyme sprigs
220g butter, at room temperature
30g parsley, roughly chopped
4 lemons
2 tsp ground cumin
2 × 1.2kg chickens
Salt and pepper
1.5kg baby potatoes, halved
8 large onions, peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp Maizena
⅓ cup water 

Method  

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Strip the leaves from half of the thyme sprigs. Combine with 200g butter, parsley, the zest of two lemons, the juice of one lemon and cumin. Rub this mixture over the surface of the chickens. Season.
3. Season the cavities and stuff each with half of the remaining thyme and one lemon, halved. Place on baking trays, along with the potatoes and six of the onions, quartered. Roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes until the skin turns golden and crisp.
4. Turn down the temperature to 160°C and cook for another 40 minutes. Then remove from the oven and cover in foil to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Finely dice the remaining two onions and fry them with the rest of the butter in a pot over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
6. Pour the white wine into the pot to deglaze (create a gravy) and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the chicken stock, the zest and juice of one lemon, four of the roast onion quarters and any juices from the roasting trays.
7. Using a hand blender, blitz the gravy until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix the Maizena with the water. Add this mixture to the gravy. Bring to a boil and simmer until the Maizena has cooked out and the gravy has thickened. Season.
8. Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy, roast baby potatoes and roast onions.

 

Glazed gammon with roasted apples  

Serves 8 // Cooking time 2 hours 50 minutes

 

Ingredients 

For the gammon 

2kg boneless gammon
3 onions, halved
4 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 L apple juice
½ tbsp cloves  

For the glaze  

½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup treacle sugar
3 Tbsp English mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp cinnamon 

For the trimmings 

6 apples
2 tbsp butter
175g pomegranate seeds
Bay leaves, optional 

Method 

For the gammon 

1. Add the gammon, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns to a large pot.
2. Pour over the apple juice and top up with water until the gammon is covered.
3. Bring to the boil over high heat. Then, reduce to a simmer and cook for an hour and 45 minutes.
4. Remove the gammon from the liquid. Cool slightly.

For the glaze 

1. Whisk all the ingredients and season with salt.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line the bottom and sides of a baking tray with foil.
3. Remove the netting from the gammon (if applicable) and cut away the skin, leaving as much fat as possible. Score a criss-cross pattern in the fat. Stick a clove in the middle of each diamond.
4. Brush half of the glaze all over the gammon and place on the prepared tray.
5. Roast for 10–15 minutes, until golden and crispy, basting with more glaze.

For the trimmings 

1. Halve some of the apples and cut the others into wedges.
2. Melt the butter in a pan. Fry the apples, flesh-side down, for 2–3 minutes, until golden.
3. Arrange on a lined baking tray. Brush with the remaining glaze. Roast for 10–15 minutes.
4. Decorate your glazed gammon with roasted apples, pomegranate and bay leaves.

 

Roast lamb with garlic and tomato sauce 

Serves 8 // Cooking time 3 hours

 

Ingredients  

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2kg leg of lamb, on the bone
10g rosemary, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
Salt and pepper
1 garlic bulb, halved
8 Roma tomatoes, quartered
4 pickling onions, peeled and halved
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
10g thyme leaves
2 tsp sugar 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Rub the oil on to the leg of lamb and sprinkle on the rosemary. Season.
3. Place one half of the garlic bulb on a baking tray. Top with the lamb and cover with foil. Roast in the oven for 60–75 minutes, or until the centre of the meat reaches 58°C. Remove from the oven and allow to rest, still covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Place the tomatoes and pickling onions on another baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Peel the remaining garlic cloves and add to the tomatoes, along with the thyme. Season. Roast for 30 minutes.
5. Place half of the roast tomatoes, onions and garlic in a pot and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Put the pot over medium heat and add the sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and season.
6. Slice the lamb and serve with the garlic and tomato sauce, remaining roast tomatoes, onions and garlic, garnished with rosemary.