Best Roast Dinner

Indulge in one of my favourite meals—a symphony of perfectly cooked chicken, crispy potatoes, light Yorkshire puddings, greens, all crowned with a luscious gravy. It’s a delightful ensemble of flavors and textures that I hope you’ll love just as much!
Serves 4 people.

Ingredients
For the Roast Chicken
2 brown onions, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 parsnip, roughly chopped
4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 whole garlic bulb
1.5kg whole chicken
salt
black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lemon, halved
small handful rosemary
small handful dried thyme

For the Roast Potatoes
5 red potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
oil of choice
2 tbsp plain flour
salt
black pepper
small handful fresh rosemary

For the Gravy
1½ tbsp plain flour

For the Yorkshire Puddings
140g plain flour
4 eggs
200ml whole milk

Method
– Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C with a fan.

– Place the onion, carrots, parsnip and celery in a large baking tray. Break the garlic bulb apart and scatter the cloves across the vegetables.

– Place the chicken on top and sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper all over. Make sure to sprinkle some inside the cavity of chicken.

– Massage the butter all over the chicken. Place the lemon, rosemary, and thyme inside the chicken.

– Place the tray in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

– Place the potatoes in a large pan and cover in water. Bring it to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

– Add 3-4 tbsp oil to a baking tray. Place this in the oven to heat the oil for 5 minutes.

– Drain the potatoes and then dust in the flour. Toss to thoroughly coat and rough up the edges. Transfer to the hot oil and sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper all over. Break apart the rosemary stalks and place on top.

– Make sure the potatoes are coated in the hot oil before you put them back in the oven for 30 minutes. At this point increase the heat to 200°C / 180°C with a fan.

– Place the flour and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the milk while you continue to whisk. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a pouring jug.

– Remove the chicken tray from the oven after it has cooked for 1 hour 2 minutes. Allow the juices from the chicken to drip onto the vegetables before you transfer just the chicken to a serving plate. Cover in foil and set aside.

– Increase the heat to 220°C / 200°C with a fan. Pour 1 tsp of oil into each well of a cupcake tray. Place this in the oven for 5 minutes.

– Remove the cupcake tray from the oven and pour an equal amount of batter into each well. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

– To prepare the gravy, use a potato masher to mash up the roasted vegetables. Add 200ml boiling water. Place the tray on the hob and cook for 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir through. Pass this through a sieve into a large bowl. Transfer to a serving jug.

– Remove the potatoes from the oven and place them on the same serving plate as the chicken.

– Remove the Yorkshire puddings from the oven.

– Serve with some boiled green beans and tuck in!