Budget-friendly Sunday roast

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional.

2. 2

   Peel (if you prefer) and cut the floury potatoes into even chunks. Put them in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add a generous pinch of sea salt and bring to the boil. Simmer until just tender at the edges, about 10 minutes, then drain.

3. 3

   Drain the potatoes well and give them a rough shake in the colander to rag the edges — this helps them crisp. Toss with half the olive oil, a little sea salt and a grind of black pepper, spread in a single layer on a baking tray and put straight into the oven.

4. 4

   Trim and peel the carrots and parsnips, cut into chunky batons. Toss them with the remaining olive oil, the honey and a pinch of sea salt. Halve the brown onion and peel the garlic cloves. Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper, rub with a little olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and tuck a sprig of fresh rosemary under the skin of each thigh.

5. 5

   After the potatoes have been in the oven for 15 minutes, push them to one side of the oven and add a second baking tray with the chicken thighs skin‑side up, the carrots, parsnips, garlic and onion. Roast for 45 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through (an internal temperature of 75°C or juices run clear) and the vegetables are tender.

6. 6

   Remove the chicken and vegetables from the oven. Transfer the chicken to a board and rest for 10 minutes while you make the gravy.

7. 7

   Make a quick gravy from the roasting tray: carefully pour off excess fat into a heatproof container (leave any caramelised bits on the tray). Put the tray over two gas rings or transfer the tray juices to a saucepan, add unsalted butter and plain flour and stir over a medium heat for 1 minute to cook the flour. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, scraping any brown bits from the tray. Simmer until thickened, 3–5 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

8. 8

   Carve the rested chicken, divide the roast potatoes and vegetables between plates, spoon over the gravy and finish with chopped fresh parsley.

Tips

• Parboil the potatoes until just tender; overboiling ruins the crisp. Shake them in the colander to rough the edges — that’s the secret to crunch.
• If you haven’t got a meat thermometer, pierce the thickest part of a thigh: the juices should run clear and the meat should feel springy, not floppy.
• Make the gravy in the same tray to use all the caramelised flavours — a little fat plus plain flour gives a quick, glossy finish.
• Make ahead: you can parboil the potatoes and prepare the veg and chicken the day before; keep chilled and roast from cold in the oven (add 5–10 minutes to roasting times).
• Leftovers keep well: carve the chicken and store with gravy in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze the meat without gravy for up to 3 months.

Substitutions

• skin-on bone-in chicken thighs → whole roasting chicken (about 1.5–2 kg), adjust roasting time to 1–1¼ hours

  Stays close

• plain flour → cornflour, mix 1 tbsp cornflour with cold water to make a slurry and add at the end to thicken

  Noticeably different

• unsalted butter → olive oil for a dairy-free gravy (use slightly less, and finish with a knob of oil instead of butter)

  Noticeably different

• honey → golden syrup or maple syrup, same quantity

  Stays close

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

850

Calories

37 g

Protein

70 g

Carbs

49 g

Fat

9 g

Fibre

7 g

Sugar

900 mg

Sodium

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