For both of us, some of our earliest food memories are in the kitchen learning to cook with our mothers.
For Annabel, she remembers sitting on a stool in the kitchen, watching her mother cook, and then becoming hooked herself.
For Rose, she recalls a fixation with licking the spoon and the whisk attachment on the family Kenwood.
After graduating from ‘‘baking assistant’’, a roast chicken dinner is one of the first proper meals Annabel taught Rose to make - an invaluable skill she’ll forever be grateful for.
We always had a chook for Sunday dinner, a weekly tradition that anchored our family and the week’s rhythm.
In the summer months, chicken was grilled on the barbecue by Ted.
In winter, the ritual was coaxed indoors by a hot oven, with the added bonus of the wonderful aroma of a roast chicken dinner wafting through the house, enticing us all to the dinner table.
There is such a sense of satisfaction in being able to put together a nourishing Sunday dinner the whole family loves and looks forward to.
With this in mind, our first recipe for you is for a roast chicken dinner with lemon and potatoes.
This one-dish wonder ticks all the boxes for a comforting family dinner, and is so easy to prepare.
To follow, we have a cosy and delicious apple and hazelnut crisp, the perfect dessert for this time of year.
This is a great dish to prepare in advance and reheat.
You can make this with any seasonal fruit. Pears and feijoas are also great, as are berries when they are in season.
Roast chicken dinner with lemon and potatoes
There are few things more comforting than a roast chicken dinner.
This foolproof recipe is our family favourite, from our kitchen to yours.
Serves 4
Ready in 1hr 50min
GF RSF
Ingredients
2 large red onions, ends trimmed, peeled, and thinly sliced into crescents
1kg potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1cm rounds
1 Meyer lemon (see note), cut in half crossways
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
A few sprigs of thyme
1 tsp salt
1 large (1.7kg) free-range chicken
1 head of garlic, cut in half through the middle
2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
½ cup dry white wine or stock
1 tsp flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat your oven to 180ºC fanbake.
Arrange the onion and potatoes in a large ovenproof frying pan or roasting dish. Thinly slice one of the lemon halves and add to the pan along with the olive oil, thyme and salt. Use your hands to combine and spread out evenly in the dish.
Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the vegetables. Place the garlic halves around the chicken, cut-side down. Pour the wine (or stock) along with ½ cup water over and around the vegetables and chicken. (This liquid helps to steam the chicken and the potatoes when they roast, so they cook through without drying out.)
Use your hands to separate the chicken skin from the breast, and push the butter under the skin of the chicken breast, allowing about 1 tablespoon per breast. Squeeze the remaining half of the lemon over the chicken, then place the lemon half in the cavity.
Season the chicken with the flaky salt and the pepper and transfer to the oven. Roast until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is golden (1 hour 20 minutes to 1½ hours, depending on the size of the chicken).
To test for doneness, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the chicken; the juices should run clear. When done, remove from the oven and cover with baking paper and a tea towel, and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Note
• Keep in mind that the cook time will depend on the size of your chicken. If you’re roasting a smaller chicken, parboil the potatoes for 10 minutes, then drain and place them on your roasting dish with onions and lemon.
• Meyer lemons are sweeter than regular lemons, and the pith is not as bitter. They make for excellent eating. If you can’t find a Meyer lemon, you can use a regular lemon in its place (but you may not want to eat the roasted slices).
Apple and hazelnut crisp
Rose’s dear friend Carolina makes the best apple crisp. She was kind enough to share her recipe with us.
It’s utterly delicious (we’ve been known to have leftovers for an indulgent breakfast).
Serves 8
Ready in 1hr 20min
DF, GF, V, VE
Crisp topping
1½ cups rolled oats (see note)
1 cup ground almonds
¾ packed cup soft brown sugar
¾ cup desiccated coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp flaky sea salt
½ cup raw hazelnuts or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup melted coconut oil or butter (200g)
Apple filling
8 large apples (about 1.3kg) peeled, cored, and diced 2cm
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp soft brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornflour (see note)
Method
Preheat your oven to 160ºC and take out a 30cm x 20cm baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, ground almonds, brown sugar, coconut, cinnamon, salt and nuts.
Stir the melted coconut oil or butter into the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
In another bowl, mix the chopped apples with the lemon juice, sugar and cornflour. Transfer this to your baking dish and spread out evenly.
Sprinkle the crisp mixture over the apples. Press down firmly (it’s fine if bits of apple poke through).
Bake until the topping turns a golden brown (1 hour). Allow to cool slightly, then serve accompanied by yoghurt or vanilla ice cream.
Note
To make this gluten-free, you can use rice flakes in place of rolled oats, and make sure you use maize cornflour too.
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